‘Old Monk will be a stress buster’

By Express News Service

The multifaceted Srini is a bundle of talent. Starting as a background dancer, he later was a Radio Jackey for five years, and then took to making short films, which helped him make films on shoestring budgets. The turning point of his career was his directorial debut with Upendra’s Topiwala. “Without any previous experience, helming my first project with Upendra in the lead was like gaining a PhD degree from a university where I got to learn filmmaking from a filmmaker like Upendra,” shares Srini. He then followed it up with Srinivasa Kalyana, which was made on a budget of Rs 50 lakhs, and then helmed the experimental crime thriller, Birbal – Case 1 Vajramuni.

Now, the director and actor is all set to release his fourth outing, Old Monk, which will hit theatres on February 25. “Each film has a challenge and coming to Old Monk, it will be high on ‘entertainment, entertainment, and entertainment,” says Srinivas who asserts that the film will be a way for audiences to overcome the gloom of the pandemic. “Old Monk will be a perfect stress buster, and that was the intention of making this film,” the director adds.

Srini believes that uniqueness in a film lies in its presentation. “Old Monk will be a complete family entertainer. Any story can be condensed into a simple one-liner and all that matters is how the director wants to treat the premise,” he says.

Srini’s punch can be seen in the multiple ways the title of his project can be translated into. One is the popular rum brand, and it also means Hale Sanyasi in Kannada. “The similarity between the brand and title lies in the fact that the audience will surely get a ‘kick’ from my film,” he chuckles. “The film centres around a Sanyasi, and that’s how we came up with this title,” says Srini, who intended to make a film that will cater to all types of audiences. “This film, which was mostly made during the pandemic, allowed us to experiment with our publicity, and it has received a good response,” he says.

Srini also doubles up as the lead in Old Monk, and one can’t help but ask if he would act in all his directorial ventures. “If I get an opportunity to direct another actor in the lead in the right script, I will be happier to just be behind the camera,” he says.

Starring Aditi Prabhudeva as the female lead, Old Monk, backed by Siddhi Entertainment, also stars a host of senior actors including late actor Rajesh, S Narayan, and Sihi Kahi Chandru among others. Written by Srini, Santhosh Nandakumar and Prasanna VM, Old Monk has music by Saurabh-Vaibhav and cinematography by Bharath Parashuram.