Girish Kasaravalli returns to filmmaking, to helm a ‘Thirthahalli film’ based on U.R. Ananthamurthy’s short story

This will be Kasaravalli’s sixteenth feature film

Renowned Kannada film director Girish Kasaravalli at his house in Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: K. BHAGYA PRAKASH

Noted auteur Girish Kasaravalli, 73, is returning to filmmaking after a gap of four years. He will start shooting his next film, Akasha Mattu Bekku, based on a short story of the same name by U.R. Ananthamurthy in Thirthahalli on October 3.

This will be Mr. Kasaravalli’s sixteenth feature film. His last film, Illiralare Allige Hogalare (2020), was based on a short story by Jayanth Kaikini. 

“Thirthahalli film” all the way

The current project is being produced by a Thirthahalli-based film production company Aveshane through crowdfunding. “This will be a Thirthahalli film all the way. All the actors who have been cast are local talents from Thirthahalli,” Mr. Kasaravalli said, who also hails from the taluk in Shivamogga district. So does U.R. Ananthamurthy. 

Back to URA

Interestingly, Mr. Kasaravalli’s debut film Ghatashraddha (1977) was also based on a URA story, a restored version of which was screened at the Venice International Film Festival on September 4. Fifteen films later, Mr. Kasaravalli, known to adapt works of literature to film, has returned to URA. 

“I have always felt URA’s Suryana Kudure and Akasha Mattu Bekku are some of his most dense stories. I had not attempted to adapt Akasha Mattu Bekku till now because it has a non-linear narrative, which I hadn’t tried till now. But I thought, let me try that as well,” he said. 

Ideological explorations

Akasha Mattu Bekku, the title of a short story collection published in 1981, is set around the deathbed of Jayathirtha Acharya, even as he has called his long-lost friend, Comrade Govindan Nair, to meet him. 

“In this story, Ananthamurthy is looking at how socio-political and ideological issues affect us as people at a deeper, philosophical level. These days, this has been my concern, too. So I am attracted to this story now,” he said. 

Usually known to make significant changes to the story while adapting to screen, Mr. Kasaravalli said the script of Akasha Mattu Bekku is true to the short story by the writer. “I had not made any changes to Ghatashraddha, too. This script is also very true to the original story,” he said.