R.P. Patnaik - still a composer at heart

Chennai, March 10 (IANS) He may have become a director and is enjoying his new role -- but R.P. Patnaik confesses that at heart he is still a musician.

Patnaik, who debuted as a director with "Andamaina Manasulo", is busy wrapping up his fourth Telugu directorial venture "Thulasidhalam".

"I started my career as a music composer and, therefore, I can never stop being one at heart. I have stopped composing music for other films, but I still compose music for my own films," Patnaik told IANS and added: "Since I'm busy being a director, I don't find time to compose music for other films."

In a career spanning over a decade, he has composed music for over 50 Telugu films including "Nuvvu Nenu", "Jayam" and "Manasantha Nuvve".

His latest venture "Thulasidhalam" is a horror-thriller based on the barbaric murder of 10-month-old Indian girl Sanvi.

"I play a paranormal doctor in the film, which is loosely based on the murder of 10-month-old girl Sanvi. It is not entirely based on the incident, but we have partly touched upon it to build some tension in our narrative," said Patnaik who's a post-graduate in Space Physics.

Completely shot in Las Vegas, "Thulasidhalam" is getting ready for May release. The post-production is currently underway.

What lured you to directing films?

"I wanted to direct for quite some time now. All these years I was busy composing music and carving an identity for myself in the industry. However, I have dedicated the last few years of my life writing and directing films," said the composer-director who also directed Telugu films "Broker" and "Friends Book".

What next?

"I'm busy finishing my next film on the US Amish community. The film is nearing completion and will very soon hit the theatres," he said.

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Thulasidhalam