I was not excited about awards, says Kishan

Bangalore, Sep 30 (IANS) Ten-year-old Master Kishan, said to be the world youngest film director, created history by winning two of the recently announced Karnataka State film awards for his "Care of Footpath".

The yet-to-be-released film has fetched Kishan the best child artist award and the special jury award.

"I was not so excited about these awards when I heard the news first. But when I saw the smile on my mother's face, I realised their importance. Some of my unit members called me to say how happy they were about the awards. My team is so happy about this recognition," Kishan told IANS in an interview.

The film will create history again when it will be released simultaneously in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the US.

"My father and his friends are busy getting things right. The release is planned for the third or fourth week of October."

Kishan is on the verge of entering the Guinness Book of Records as the world's youngest film director.

Excerpts from a chat with Kishan:

Many people refused to believe that you would be able to direct a film when you started working on the project. How do you feel when the film is ready for release and has already got two awards from the state government?

I was not so excited about these awards when I heard the news first. But, when I saw the smile on my mother's face, I realised the importance of the awards. Some of my unit members called me to say how happy they were about the awards. My team is so happy about this recognition.

About the release of the film, my father and his friends are busy getting things right. The release is planned for the third or fourth week of October.

How did you get the story idea for the film?

I have some fantastic interactions with my father, and I would normally narrate many stories to him. I was writing down some of these ideas and saving them on my computer.

One day, I was dreaming up the scene of a slum boy facing an interview with experts. Then I spun a story around the idea and narrated it to my father, who was impressed.

But the final script was ready only after writers Jogi and Udaya Marakkini provided inputs. Mysore Harish did some wonderful work with his dialogues. Once the script was completed, I was confident I had a strong film on hand.

How many days did it take you to get the full script ready?

Well, I sat with the three writers for nearly 45 days and this enabled them to translate my story idea into a powerful script.

Which part of filmmaking did you find most satisfying and exciting?

I had happy moments during the shooting, as many veterans were there to encourage me. Cameraman Mathew was highly supportive. The whole shooting was completed without an iota of displeasure or stress.

But the experience was different when I sat on the editing table. I followed the Avid-editing pattern and saw some great artists at their best.

Have you made this film for children, as the story relates to the struggles of an eight-year-old boy?

I do not want to slot my film, but I think that the film will appeal to everyone.

Did you attend the music sittings?

I had some good discussions with composer Ravi Dattsthreya about the songs. The background music was given by his son Srivatsa, who is doing his pre-university course.

How did your parents support you during the making of the film?

When I started working on this project, they started calling me 'director sir' even at home. But when mummy called me "director sir' after the project was finished, I told her to call me 'Kishan' again!