Khartik Shetty happens to be an actor of Kannada films. And of late he has come up with his debut directorial film Than Than Gopal albeit not in Kannada but in Marathi. Sounds surprising but having been born and brought up in Mumbai he found the directorial going quite smooth enough.
To set the ball rolling can you give us a little insight into your background?
Basically speaking I am a Kannada actor albeit born and brought up in Mumbai. Till this date I have ended up doing a hat trick of Kannada films namely Yuvah, Khartik & Agnimusti. And my fourth film Akshata is due for release by the end of Nov, 2015.
And now how come you are making your directorial debut with a Marathi film and not a Kannada film?
Actually speaking me and my friends had come across this very sweet, simple & fascinating story which had a flavor of a Maharastrian milieu about it. So it was not at all possible to make the film in Kannada hence we all decided to make it in Marathi and not in Kannada and we named this film as Than Than Gopal.
So what is Than Than Gopal all about?
Than Than Gopal is all about a 11 year old blind boy, for whom being blind is not a disadvantage. In fact he lives his life full of Joy de vivre spirit. On the other hand is his friend who is a Warli painter. Warli is an ancient art of painting, which, of late, happens to be a dying art form.
Are you trying to impart any social message through your movie Than Than Gopal?
No doubt the film hits you at first when you see the plight of the blind boy and the Warli painters. But we are not out to seek the audiences sympathy for them. In fact I have tried to convey a very subtle & serious message in a very entertaining way. We have also tried to take a very strong stand against both the issues. And for this I would like to thank my producers Siddhanth Mahesh Shetty & Nidhi Prakash Shetty for backing this project all the way from its conception to its final release.
Did you face any problem while directing a Marathi film?
No not at all. You see being brought up in Mumbai I am well versed with the Marathi language. But of course since I cannot speak the Marathi language fluently I refrain myself from speaking the language in front of the media. And I am ok while making a general conversation in my day to day life.
As a parting shot tell us if you are planning to pitch Than Than Gopal in the film festival circuits?
Right now it is not on my mind as I am up to my neck in the film’s release. But of course I think it’s not a bad idea at all. So I will definitely try to pitch Than Than Gopal in the festival circuits too.
