Adithya Prakash’s short signals the rise of a promising Kannada filmmaker

The healthy practice of screening short films on the big screen is growing in Bengaluru. Up-and-coming filmmakers are enthusiastic about showcasing their work to movie buffs and industry professionals. Adithya Prakash is one such filmmaker.

His one-hour long Kannada film, Watch Out Krishna, is a big step towards his ambition of becoming a director who makes “audience films”. The term is not hard to understand when you watch Adithya’s comedy thriller that blends auteurist artistry with entertainment to cater to the masses. The film, with impressive music from Navaneeth Sham, was recently screened at the Suchitra Cinema and Cultural Academy.

A trained actor, Adithya wanted to write a film to explore his performing abilities. As he worked on a three-act structure, the story took precedence and acting took a back seat. Thoughts ran wild, and unconventional characters cropped up. From a nosy house owner and an amusing car lover to the real estate boom in Mysuru, colourful people and real scenarios propelled his script.

“The biggest motivation to write Watch Out Krishna was the opening scene of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. The intensity of the scene is inexplicable,” he says. A childhood experience of being verbally abused during a road rage incident stayed with Adithya for years, and it has made it into the script of the film as well.

Punith Belagatta in ‘Watch Out Krishna’
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Splitting the film into chapters is perhaps a hat-tip to Tarantino, but Adithya’s idols are not only from Hollywood. His favourites range from Turkish filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Winter Sleep) and Iranian great Abbas Kiarostami (Taste of Cherry), to Serbian director Emir Kusturica (Black Cat, White Cat) and Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things).

“These filmmakers are like my friends who inspire me and push me to do better,” says Adithya. He admires Anurag Kashyap and Malayalam cinema’s Dileesh Pothan from India. If there is one film he keeps revisiting, it is Raam Reddy’s acclaimed rural, slice-of-life Kannada comedy, Thithi (2015). “Every time I watch it, I find something new. It is my father’s (Dr. Prakash AS) favourite as well. The film’s biggest strength is its realistic portrayal of greed and grief.”

Watch Out Krishna too has a subtle commentary on materialism. The consistent tongue-in-cheek humour is a plus, further enhanced by Punith Belaghatta’s striking performance. “I am naturally drawn towards dark humour,” says Adithya.

Kannada star ‘Daali’ Dhananjaya has released the movie on his YouTube channel Daali Pictures. The Tagaru actor was impressed with the film’s trailer. Ace filmmaker-actor Raj B Shetty has also shared his support for the young filmmaker. “I had sent him one of my short movies. He was kind enough to reply. He liked my work and asked me to keep making movies,” says Adithya.

Adithya is also inspired by Daredevil Musthafa (2023)director Shashank Soghal’s creative marketing strategies to reach a wider audience. He remembers Shashank’s complement. “He felt the experience of watching Watch Out Krishna was like a “Sriram Raghavan” thriller. He also liked the fact that the curiosity factor was intact throughout the movie.”

A Mysuru boy, Adithya, who recently moved to Bengaluru, is a cybersecurity engineer. It’s a classic case of an IT guy’s passion for storytelling. “My weekends are dedicated to filmmaking,” says Adithya, who produced Watch Out Krishna with his friends. “We had to be economical. It was like walking on a tightrope.”

Adithya Prakash (left) during the shoot of ‘Watch Out Krishna’.
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After the initial apprehension, Adithya’s family has shown complete support for his filmmaking dreams. “I know there is a lot of talk about the low success rate in the Kannada film industry. Even amidst such an atmosphere, I am confident of delivering an exciting, full-length feature film.” the young filmmaker signs off, exuding confidence and hope.

Watch Out Krishna is currently available on Daali Pictures YouTube channel