Regarded as one of the most brilliant minds in the Kannada Film Industry at the moment, Pawan Kumar, in recent times, apart from delivering movies, has also tried his hand in exploring topics related to film distribution and other interesting topics. On Sunday, the ‘Lucia’ director came live on MetroSaga Instagram handle, hosted by Metrosaga’s film critic and analyst, Akarsha Kamala for an interesting conversation about Cinema. Here are the highlights of this highly engaging session:
On spending the lockdown period
Pawan Kumar divulged details regarding his routine during the lockdown. He said, unlike the pre-lockdown era, he is working more now. Pawan started a campaign for donations to KFI daily-wage workers, while he is also currently involved in developing a Kannada Movie Club.
Life as an actor
Pawan Kumar revealed that he started out his journey to become an actor, and although the path did take a deviation, he says he has been enjoying his acting in recent days. The director will next appear in Gaalipata-2 under the direction of Yograj Bhat.
OTT vs Theatres
Pawan Kumar opined that such competition has always existed, be it single-screen theaters vs multiplex or TV vs theaters, and hence, it is only up to us to evolve with the technology and demand.
Directing a movie like KGF or Baahubali
Pawan revealed that although he did receive such an offer in the past, he did not take up, as his way of cinema does not match with such style of filmmaking. He also told that he is more of a director who relies on character relationships to tell a story.
Difference between Web Series and Movies
Having been part of both the formats, Pawan Kumar felt that the major difference between web series and movies is that the former involves more about character trajectory and biography.
Censorship on OTT Platforms
Pawan talked about the burning topic of censorship on OTT Platforms. He told all of it comes down to responsible handling, and maybe, there is scope for the US-style of rating method to be followed.
Nicotine – Happening or not?
Pawan Kumar had launched a movie called ‘Nicotine’ in 2014, after the release of Lucia. However, the movie never happened and for the brilliant poster and title that was in place, people are still curious if the movie will ever happen. Pawan responded saying that the movie could go on floors after the lockdown.
While the budget was an issue for the delay, Pawan says the delay could be considered as a blessing in disguise, as he is more confident about the re-written version of the movie.
The Professor from Money Heist
On being questioned regarding his resembling looks to the ‘Professor from Money Heist’, Pawan Kumar revealed that he receives at least 10 messages every day concerning the topic. Well, he does look very similar, doesn’t he?
Pawan Kumar’s initiatives
Pawan talked about those initiatives that he is committed to, at the moment. He has now developed his website ( http://www.hometalkies.com/ ) which aims to directly connect the donator and the daily-wage film workers. He said that one could also get the details of the worker whom he/she would be donating to.
On the other hand, Pawan said that he is looking to build an audience base that could start co-funding movies in the future. Titled as ‘Kannada Movie Patrons’ on Telegram, Pawan aims to emulate an OTT-model, albeit without the technology.
In this project, customers would have to pay for their subscription beforehand, and using this money, movies get made. Later on, these movies will be exclusively available to the same set of customers. You can also head to Pawan Kumar’s YouTube channel for a detailed explanation of the idea.
Watch the full interview:
