Celebrating the birthday of Yogaraj Bhat on October 8th, we bring you an exclusive interview with the renowned director and writer on www.flickfeeds.com
Yogaraj Bhat, the visionary director behind the iconic ‘Mungaru Male’ (released in December 2006), has consistently exceeded expectations in the world of cinema. His ability to blend the realms of art cinema and literature with commercial success is a hallmark of his work, yielding consistently impressive results.
Currently, Yogaraj Bhat has two significant projects in the pipeline. ‘Karataka Damananaka,’ featuring the acclaimed Indian dancer and actor Prabhudeva and Karunada Chakravarthy Dr. Shivarajakumar for Rockline Productions, and ‘Garadi,’ produced by BC Patil, starring Surya, Sonal, and others, with a special appearance by the box office sensation Darshan for 18 minutes. These films hold great promise and are expected to garner widespread attention and acclaim on a global scale.
In this condensed version of our in-depth conversation with Yogaraj Bhat, the versatile director, writer, and philosopher shares insights into his upcoming projects and more:
‘Garadi’ is set to hit theaters in mid-October, while ‘Karataka Damanaka’ is in the final stages of shooting with two songs remaining. Both films carry the hallmark of success.
Yogaraj Bhat expresses his fondness for ‘Garadi,’ his first foray into high-voltage action cinema, which has received an overwhelmingly positive response.
Notably, Challenging Star Darshan makes a 18minutes impactful appearance in ‘Garadi,’ with Prithvi playing his younger counterpart. Yogaraj Bhat reflects on his previous attempts to collaborate with Darshan, emphasizing the need for robust preparation for larger-than-life roles.
As for ‘Karataka Damanaka,’ featuring Dr. Shivarajakumar and Prabhudeva for Rockline Venkatesh production has two songs remain to be completed, keeping the anticipation high.
Bhat hints at his upcoming project ‘Kongata Kathe,’ which he considers very special, and a forthcoming announcement regarding its title, ‘NEE UDDARA AGALLA.’
When asked about the possibility of working with Sudeepa and Darshan again, Yogaraj Bhat highlights the importance of aligning the right story, producer, and mindset, emphasizing the need for harmony among all elements.
With seven to eight scripts ready, Bhat discusses I’ve set aside due to my dissatisfaction with the final 25 minutes of the film ‘Current.’
Each time I embark on a project, I strive for perfection, and upon completion, I often find areas where improvements can be made. It’s an ongoing process, and we persistently aim for 100 percent results.
He also contemplates the idea of exploring historical, mythological, or novel-based themes, mentioning his ongoing work on Poornachandra Tejaswi’s ‘Karvalo’ from 1980, although finding the right atmosphere remains a challenge.
Yograj Bhat expressed that he is contemplating adapting Ta Ra Su’s ‘Durgaastamana’ into a big-screen production. He mentioned that, despite previous attempts by others, he still maintains hope for its success as a cinematic venture. He noted that this novel, authored by Ta Ra Subba Rao of ‘Decline of Fort,’ was originally published in 1982.
He mentioned that the process of finalizing the film’s shape is time-consuming, especially given the challenges posed by the post-corona era and digital techniques. He pointed out that what used to take ten hours of work is now taking fifteen hours.
Yograj Bhat discussed how their work is spread across 100 different locations, with ten engineers collaborating remotely. He acknowledged that this situation makes the mixing and mastering process quite challenging in today’s context.
He expressed that technology demands more time, but he is not fatigued by it. He emphasized the importance of patience in the profession and mentioned that frustrations won’t lead to positive outcomes. He also mentioned that those around him advise him to step away when he gets frustrated.
Yograj Bhat stated that he doesn’t focus on the business aspects and admitted that he doesn’t comprehend business at all. He differentiated between filmmaking and business as distinct realms.
He lamented that, despite having two films in progress, he is unable to spare time for writing songs for others. He added that if circumstances were different, he could have managed to write up to 25 songs per week.
Finally, Yograj Bhat shared that his interest in creating content related to Puneeth and Shivarajakumar remains strong. He revealed that he had discussed this with both of them and expressed that with Puneeth Rajkumar no longer with us, only time will reveal the best course of action for Dr. Shivarajakumar.
