Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana is a Paramvah presentation, but it’s still my film: Raj B Shetty

Actor-filmmaker Raj B Shetty is not in the least perturbed that he’s not worked on a new project in almost two years. Yes, he has a few Kannada films, including a directorial, and a web series lined up for release in the coming months, but those are all projects he’d wound up way before the pandemic. “I really enjoyed sitting idle for almost two years. Whatever you do in life is to be happy, and if you can achieve that even by being idle, there’s no harm in that,” says Raj, who is now breaking that extended holiday to plan the release of his next directorial, Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana, adding, “The film was ready more than two years ago and was supposed to release in July 2020, but then lockdown came and it didn’t happen. The film is now ready to release on November 19.”

Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana (GGVV) is what Raj is currently excited about. “I am thrilled to bits that this is a film that is associated with Rakshit Shetty’s Paramvah Studios. Rakshit is a friend and I had shown him the film when he asked me why I was keeping it from him. He absolutely loved the film and discussed it at length, but not in terms of collaborating in any form. We only spoke about the film and its content. Back then, we had no idea of a possible business proposal. It was much later that he broached the possibility of an association, and left it to me to decide whether I think it is a good idea. No doubt, having Paramvah Studios backing the film’s release is a great deal, because it gives GGVV a big boost,” says Raj, adding, “The perception of people is such that I need external backing. You cannot deny that and I don’t mind it. In fact, after Ondu Motteya Kathe (OMK), I had met a journalist who said that although I had made a popular movie, I had done so without knowing anything about films or filmmaking. This journalist said that a movie by a director from a film school will be so much greater in ‘film grammar’. I was shocked at that statement, but that is perception. This will always be the case. The best thing about being associated with Rakshit is that even though people will think he backed the project, he will give us due credit that this a film done by me and my team.”

The due credit is what was lacking with his debut directorial, which was presented by a popular Kannada filmmaker, who then walked away with all the applause that OMK garnered. “He also never clarified the limit of his involvement with the film, which is why my team and I were in the background of OMK eventually. Now, even though the posters say Paramvah Studios presents, it is still Raj B Shetty’s Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana. In a way, perhaps, the experience from my debut film is why I am getting due credit for my second movie,” says Raj, adding, “When I am producing a film with my friends and directing it as well, I have two options - one is to be very stubborn and not share credits, which puts the onus of getting the film the reach and visibility it deserves on me. Otherwise, I have to make associations with the right people, retain credit where it is due and still make good monetary benefits. Although other production houses also showed interest in GGVV, I didn’t take up any offer, as I did not want my team to feel left out. With Paramvah there is no issue of that kind. In fact, even before he announced our association, Rakshit had put out a beautiful message on social media in which it was very clear that this is NOT his film and that he was only presenting it. That’s the strength and beauty of Rakshit. The way people looked at the film prior to this association and thereafter is a lot different.”

But why would he say that? Isn’t Raj B Shetty a brand by himself after OMK? “Not really. If Raj B Shetty was a brand by himself, he would have contacts with all the OTT platforms and TV networks. Nobody gives a sh*t. The reason being that I made a film that is very small. Yes, it was quite successful, but that is a different topic altogether. I can argue that it was a good film, and that it was the first Kannada film to stream on Netflix, but to date, it has not reached a status where an OTT platform approaches us for it. If you ask me why, I don’t know. Now, there is an effort to create a brand, which is why all content about GGVV is being released on our Lighter Buddha Films Youtube channel. In fact, back in the day of Ondu Motteya Kathe, everything related to it came out on the social media links of said filmmaker. The effort now is to send a clear message – even though it is now a Paramvah film, the content is not theirs. Also, if I were a brand, I would have been able to ensure that my film is a commercial success even before its release. I don’t think I am there yet. But I do believe that GGVV can change a lot of things,” Raj says.

While writing the follow up to his successful debut directorial OMK, was Raj under any pressure to ensure his next is bigger and better? “When I wrote OMK, I did it because I felt it would be good and not because I knew for sure. In fact, while writing my next, I was not looking at doing a cult film, or a great project; I just wanted to present something that resonates with me as a human being. I was recently asked what I will present to audiences this time to satisfy them? Honestly, I don’t know this audience. I need to satisfy a human being and the first one on that list is me. If I am satisfied, I believe there’s a chance that others like me would be too,” he reasons.

So, what has Raj written this time around? In earlier interactions with the media, he has mentioned that GGVV is an underworld story set in Mangaluru, glimpses of which he showed audiences in the trailer, which has already got over three million views. “It is not just about the underworld. Yes, the set-up is in the underworld, but it is a closer look at conflict. For instance, when OMK did well, there was a section who believed that it was because of them and, subsequently, there were clashes and some people who were close to me until then, distanced themselves from me. That brings up the question how human beings who were close can drift apart due to various reasons. This was a burning question for me and it reminded me of a Yakshagana I had seen and was quite intrigued by when I was young – Devi Mahatme. The Yakshagana is about the goddess birthing Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu, and how a conflict arises between them about who is the superior being of them all. The fact that even gods could fight over supremacy was a concept that stayed with me. And when this whole OMK fiasco was playing out, all of this came rushing back to me. GGVV is a story I wrote to find answers to my question, with characters inspired by Hari (Vishnu) and Shiva, amid an underworld set up,” Raj explains, adding that actor-filmmaker Rishab Shetty plays one of these roles.

The film has been set in Mangaluru because it’s where Raj lived all his life. “It is not that I write stories from films; I write tales from my life. And my life is based in Mangaluru. For instance, I cannot think like someone from Bengaluru, because I am not like that. I just set my stories and films in my comfort zone,” he signs off.