Exclusive! Dear Sathya is the result of my introspection of what the industry needs and what I can do: Aryann Santhosh

Aryann Santhosh is super thrilled and yet stressed about his release tomorrow, Dear Sathya, which is not only a comeback vehicle of sorts for him, but also his debut production. “Dear Sathya is a film that I dedicate to my parents, both of who I lost in recent times, to every ‘struggling’ artiste out there, like me, who needs a pat on the shoulder and to the resurgence of cinema in movie halls. As the writer, actor and producer, there is a lot on my shoulders, especially with respect to the promotions, but the support I have been getting from media, across platforms, is quite heartening. In the last few days, I have been doing back-to-back interviews for hours together and today, in a bit, I have to organize a premiere show. It is quite exciting, but stressful as well,” says the actor, adding, “If you don’t support theatres now, the industry will die and there will be no buzz about cinema or technicians. We need to balance entertainment; just as much as we appreciate content on OTT that we can watch in the comfort of our homes, we also need to support cinema in theatres. I often say that the Rs 150 you pay for a ticket is not supporting a hero or a movie, you are supporting the dreams of thousands of technicians to do more films.”

Despite his years in the industry, Aryann is acutely aware that he has not got his due yet and that his career started picking up only after a stint on Bigg Boss Kannada. With films, though, like a lot of other young actors in Kannada cinema today, he’s had to put his might behind a project that will showcase what he’s capable of as an artiste. “When an actor knows what he's capable of and can go all out and put this together in a basket called creativity, it’s fantastic. If you look at Darling Krishna or Dulquer Salmaan and Fahadh in Malayalam cinema, they choose what they do. Some beautiful films are being made out of passion and a refusal to only look at cinema as a business. Dear Sathya, in that sense, is an institution for me, because it took me through all processes of filmmaking. I now have the confidence to collaborate with other production houses and make great content.

Looking back, though, I realize that after Nooru Janmakku, which was a well promoted film, I was seen as an outsider and not the stereotypical Kannada hero, owing to my looks and body language, etc. But when Bigg Boss Kannada happened and I made it to the top six of that season, it propelled me to another level. That gave me a bigger platform than Nooru Janmakku and people really appreciated me. After that I hosted reality shows and I got my due in TV. After Bigg Boss Kannada, I started getting film offers again; apparently everyone in the industry thought I had left India. Yes, I had moved base to Dubai for a while because I was disappointed with the fate of the film. The credit of my resurgence in the industry goes entirely to my stint in Bigg Boss Kannada.”

Dear Sathya, meanwhile, is a special film for Aryann, who has written, produced and acted in it. It’s a film that heralds his comeback to Kannada cinema, in a new look and image. The film is based on an actual incident that occurred in Chennai and has the actor play a food delivery agent, whose life is turned over after a particular incident. “Dear Sathya was initially not meant to be a Kannada film. After the Kannada reality shows, given that I can speak nine languages, I wanted to do something bigger. When I narrated the script to a few people, they all liked it and said it had to be done in Tamil, which boosted my confidence. I met Vetri Maaran, Manivarnan, Prakash Rai Production House. Initially, my character was supposed to be a guy selling electronic goods on the footpath at Paris Corner, right opposite to which is the Chennai High Court. So, the idea began there, but a Tamil film required a bigger canvas, which I was not in a position to put together. And that’s how I brought it to Sandalwood instead. Maybe it was destined to be a Kannada cinema. Now, looking at the love and support I am getting here, I think I may have struggled for the same if it were a Tamil film,” says Aryann.

The film is also the product of a lot of learnings the actor has had in his years in the industry. “There comes a stage in your life when you reboot and start from zero. And then you look at yourself and what the industry needs right now. You can't do another run-of-the-mill story. And then you wonder, as an actor, have I got my due, did I get a chance to fight, emote? Did I get a chance to do any of the navarasas? I never got it. So, I decided the first answer is to do a script, which has all the navarasas. I've made sure that whenever I'm doing a scene, I visualise 300 people sitting in the theatre having multiple and different opinions about this guy who's on the screen. I was subconsciously so aware that I can't fail here,” he signs off.

Dear Sathya, produced by Purple Rock Entertainers & Winterbridge Studios and directed by Shivaganesh, releases in theatres on March 11, 2022.