Directing a Tamil film has always been on my wish list: Hari Santhosh

After directing several award-winning films in Kannada, Hari Santhosh is quite kicked to be making his debut in Kollywood. The filmmaker is ready with his film, College Kumar, which, incidentally, is a remake of his Sandalwood film by the same name.

“I made the film two years ago, and it was received well by the audience. My producer, Padmanabh, wanted to make the film in Tamil and Telugu, and so, here we are,” begins Hari, “This is not a typical hero-heroine kind of film. It’s a pure family entertainer, and is about how sometimes, parents and kids share a stressful relationship. While Prabhu sir is playing the role of the father in the Tamil version, Rajendra Prasad sir is doing the role in Telugu. Madhoo has done the mother’s character in both the languages. Stunt master Vijay’s son, Rahul Vijay, will be making his debut in Kollywood with this film; he’s done movies like Ee Maaya Peremito and Suryakantham in Tollywood already. Priya Vadlamani, a popular name in Tollywood, is playing the female lead.”

Almost sixty per cent of the film has been shot in a huge campus in Bengaluru. “That’s because the film has a college backdrop and we’ve filmed in a 300-acre campus there. We’ve also shot a major schedule in Chennai,” he informs, adding, “Music plays an important role in the film, and we’ve got Qutub E Kripa — an award-winning ensemble of musicians from AR Rahman’s KM Music Conservatory — to compose the music. I’m a lyricist myself, and have written over 70 songs in Kannada. So, we’ve paid extra attention to musical score.”

Ask Hari what prompted him to debut in Kollywood now, and he says, “My dad worked as a set assistant and I’ve been with him on film sets since I was in Class 5. So, movies have been a childhood dream. I then assisted Prem (of Jogi fame) for five years and also worked on Ramya’s Kannada film Sanju Weds Geetha. And in 2012, I did my first film, Alemari, which won three state awards, including one for best director. I screened that film in Chennai and since then, have been visiting the city for all my films. So, directing a Tamil film has always been on my wish list. In fact, I got offers to make Alemari in Tamil way back, but I wasn’t comfortable doing it then because I’d just ventured out on my own. I was young and I knew I’d get an opportunity again. When the makers of College Kumar wanted me to make the film in Tamil as well, I knew it was the right subject because it could connect with audiences across the country.”
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