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Who are you and what do you do?

How and when did you become interested in film and making it?

Do you have any formal Training in film?

Do you remember your first film? What was it about?

What’s your typical day like?

What are the essential items you carry?

How would you describe your film making process?

How do you know what film to choose to make?

For whatever reason, you are no longer able to make you films,

what would you do instead and what do you take away from having done it?

Best place to eat/drink in your hometown?

Top 3 significant Moments of your life thus far?

What’s something about you that most people don’t know?

http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/jun/24/slide-show-1-south-first-look-bengaloored.htm

Rediff.com Link

 

Director and Actor: Harish Raj with Swaroop Kanchi

 

As Bangalore is hurtling towards the future, with a by-product of constant flux in not just the way the city is looking, but also in the way the city has developed, progressed and ( some would even argue) regressed. This, like all change, has had a huge impact on people who have had a relationship and history with the city. With the changing skyline and even the name change to Bengalooru, Swaroop Kanchi a Malleswaram boy, a film maker and maverick, had to explore the subject further.“Bengaloored” is hitting select cinemas today.

The film revolves around Babruvahana, a young author, who had just returned to Bangalore after a 10 year hiatus,to find that its a far cry from the city he used to call home and how this heavily impacts him. Kanchi even appears in cameo as a as a self serving priest in the film.

Film still from Bengaloored with protagonist Harish Raj and Meghana

MyBangalore: Why Bengaloored- And how personal is the story to you?

Swaroop Kanchi: One thing I’ve observed around the world with my own life is that there is constant change and it’s a continuous process with unpredictable patterns. It is the same case here with our city Bangalore became Bengalooru recently. Along with the name change, there are many other things that have been changing too, a lot of things have become Bengaloored and of late I have seen a lot of people using this term, “I got Bengaloored”  while discussing a situation they have had to face in the city. So I guess Bengaloored, the word name is getting quite popular too.

What was the biggest challenge for you while making the movie?

Definitely budget constraints, as it is a low budget film. But along with that, there are innumerable things ,daily, that make you think the film will never happen. It’s life on the edge and you can at any point fall down into a very deep abyss below.

Kanchi in cameo in Bengaloored

How did you cast for the film.. did you think about starring in it yourself?

Any film I write, I imagine myself as the protagonist, that definitely helps me write a story that makes it relatable, to viewers too. Then when the writing is done, the characters are fleshed out and that is when we usually begin casting. In this case Harish Raj & Meghana just fell into the picture(literally). They auditioned phenomenally well and when you watch the movie they do make a very difficult role look easy.

A little about growing up in the city. A memory .. Also, where did you study film and did you have a mentor? How important is formal training for a film maker?

I was born and bought up in Malleshwaram, I had an awesome childhood in Bangalore- playing hide & seek and kalla-police (cops and robbers). During festivals, we used to watch Raj Kumar films that were played on a projector on our street. So I have very fond memories of a very different Bangalore.

I haven’t studied film and I never knew what exactly was a director’s job in a film. I used to think his job is highly unnecessary, because the actors do their acting and the singers do their singing etcetra… so what was left for a director to do? Anyways one day I woke up and just started making films. No big decision, no studying film. Nothing. So you can say I am self-taught and enjoy the process of discovering myself in the art-form.

Film making is method and madness. The method can be learnt in film schools and by assisting directors  but the madness has to come from within.

Is this film categorised as an independent film, since you produced it yourself?

Very independent. I have a co-producer working with me, Pradeep Raju. But we’re like two children lost in kumbha mela – we both don’t know how to find our way. But there is also a great freedom in being lost and being innocent and that’s the joy of film making and being Independent.

FIlm still of a pensive Babruvahana from Bengaloored

Tell us about funding, grants… What about distribution?

We self funded the film ourselves. Nothing comes free-as they say, there’s no such a thing as free lunch, so no grants, no sponsors, nothing. Distribution was the hardest part, as I myself also haven’t distributed my films in India before. So that’s the craziest and the scariest part. Trying to get an All India Distribution. Big film spend 10-20 crores just on Marketing, We can in no way compete with that price. Everything is expensive – so we’re figuring out ways to still get our voices heard. The press has been very generous that way & also the people who are spreading the word around, appreciating the film and creating a buzz.

Who has done the music for the film?

Vasu Dixit has composed the music and also sung a few songs. He’s a got an amazing voice and  also a great grasp on music. He’s a special musician. Also, he’s the front man of Swarathma- a rock folk band. Abhilash Lakra & Vasu did the Background scores & to an extent really helped in creating the mood for the film and carrying the tempo forward. Ritisha Padmanabh and Joel Dubba have lent their voices for some of the songs and they truly are very gifted singers.

The film most personal to you, from your current dossier.

Bengaloored, obviously is very close to my heart. Most satisfying in so many ways because so many people from India are watching it and loving it. That itself is a great gift. Everyday working on the film is awesome. I always joke with my friends and family that giving birth to a child only takes 9 months, but this movie has taken a year. So had to go through all the labour for a year. Now finally bring it to the world is a very special feeling. I feel like a young nervous mother!

Genre you would like to explore.

I love comedy. I love mythology. Mixing the two would be fun.

Is alternative cinema really going to make its presence felt across the Indian film industry.

It has already. Khosla ka Ghosla was alternative. Monsoon Wedding, Bheja Fry and Salaam Bombay and so many films have made the Indian Film industry rich with its content and given blockbusters too. I think alternate/Independent cinema is like sugar and Indian Film Industry is milk. Milk without sugar is not always that great.

A controversial subject you would like to explore on celluloid.

Of late a lot of young people have become disillusioned by religion and spirituality and feel everything is a farce. I think there is so much there to talk about. Cynicism is good, butandger and hatred and whatever the cause for it is unnecessary. The world can be much better place without anger and hatred. Why hate when you can love.

Did you shoot on a 35 mm? Did you consider shooting on red?

We have previously shot on 35 mm, but this film we’ve completely gone digital. Digital is definitely the step forward. There is just so much more you can digitally and so much faster and importantly it is cost-efficient. Red is a good camera and a big plus for digital film makers, I am sure a lot are opting for it. But it’s not what you use but how you use it that matters. The technology is in the camera but the skill and the art should come from you.

Quick 5 with Swaroop Kanchi

Director- Kim Ki duk, Martin scorcese, gurudutt, Kamal Hassan, Mani rathnam

Film- Taxi Driver (Robert De niro), Spring, summer, winter, fall, spring (Korean), Zatoichi (Japanese), Guru shishyaru (Kannada)

Actor- Marlon Brando, Dilip Kumar, Raj Kumar (Kannada), Shankar Nag (kannada)

Wish- I wish I can share love, happiness & peace through the medium of cinema

Famous first words- God!!! I thought about this one for half an hour and realized I have nothing to say.

A different Ball Game- DNA 2010

Times of India- Bangalore times 2010

Bengaloored Press Release- Times of India (Main Paper) 2010

Dna-Bengaloored Premier Screening

Bangalore Mirror- Interview by Mansa Tejaswini

 

Mansa Tejaswini

Swaroop Kanchi is the next big thing in the International film making front. The city lad who loves strolling around MG enjoying his Kadlekai has got his hand pretty much into everything from painting to poetry to making music to making internationa films he has done it all.Excerpts from an interview:

From a Junior Tennis champion to a Independent movie makes you have come a long way? How has the experience been?

It has been really crazy. I made my debut when i was 16 and which was called “The End”. Back then there way many such film makers like myself who wanted to make independent movies but for  some reason most of them moved into the big screen and the silver screen and glad i stuck to what i do the best.

Your much talked movie based on the city “Bengalooerd” is due to be released. What is the movie all about and how did it all start?

Well its a story about a writer who comes back from France in order to complete his book and to find his roots and also ends up meeting the love of this life. I started work on this movie sometime in May. The script I had in mind a long time back and we were search in for young talent from the city and that is when i came across Harish Raj and Megana who are the main cast in the movie.

Why the Bengaloored and what is so different about this movie?

I always wanted to make a movie that was based on the city and because every time i came back to the city it used to be different, people who i once knew would disappear and places would change. The city is changing dynamically and that is why the name Bengaloored. The characterisation of this movie is different and is not even remotely close to any Indian cinema . Besides this is the first time i am acting in the movie. The movie will be out sometime in Sept so plz watch it and lemme know

This is third movie of yours that has been shot in the city? So choose Bangalore?

I love the city. The city has the perfect blend of amazing weather, talent and beautiful locations. Infact i did not know myself that there was so much talent until i met my cast for Bengaloored here. They were simply amazing and blow ed me over completely.

You has a very young cast in this movie by doing so are u trying to relate to the youth.

Not really my movies are watched by everyone. Maybe its because i relate to the movie. I have many scripts that involves not so young cast but i don want to work on them now. A few years down the line i will.

As an independent movie makes how has you managed so far? How do u manage the funds?

It is definitely not east making independent movies means I am handling the production and direction and the coordinating it myself. But i love working on my own. Most of my movies i edit myself and so am working all night on them and i enjoy doing that. Making English movie in India is not that easy in Bangalore coz i have to pay three time more than the other film makers. Initially when i started i was frustrated and i used to focus on getting money. Infact i borrowed money from my fren. I had to sell my fren’s furniture to get make my second movie. But then shekar Kapoor once told me If u have a camera go out there and shoot it yourself. And since then things just fell into place. For Bangalooerd i have Pradeep Raju co producing it.

Most of your films have been premiered at different film festivals abroad and have got good responses internationally are u looking at the same for this movie?

Yes definitely. But this time Bengaloored will be premiered here and am hoping for good responses from people here as well.

Interesting not many know that the city has its own international  film makers? aren’t u worried that u might loose out on large chunk of audience here.

Yes definitely i am loosing out and that’s why this time am hoping that this time am making a movie based on the city so that all audience can relate to it and yes India will watch it. Infact my movie Hongkong dreaming was a part of the Bangalore film festival and frankly speaking i got mixed responses for the movie. Most of the women here totally loved it. I know that when i make a movie somebody will watch it and will like it.

Ever thought of making movie for Kannada or Hindi film industry?

I have actually got offers but i know i cannot do and i dont want to. I want to make movies on my own and work independant. For me fame is not important let my actors have it all am here not as a businessman but to as an artist and want to work where my heart is. And this is what i love doing.

What do u you think about the city’s infrastructure?

The city is vibrant and fun but i feel the Film chamber and the government should do more to promote film tourism coz the city has a lot to offer and the city is loosing out on talent coming from the outside who would prefer to pay less and work in Mumbai than come to Bangalore.

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_______________________________ http://www.mybangalore.com/article/1109/swaroop-kanchi-on-bengaloored.html Swaroop Kanchi on “Bengaloored” By Yograj_M | Published: November 03 2009  “I wanted to work with Indian stories, Indian people and in a culture I am comfortable with,” says Swaroop Kanchi, a city based film maker about, “Bengaloored” Swaroop Kanchi For someone who has worked in Hollywood and had his movie premiered in New York Film Festival, Swaroop Kanchi has none of the airs of a successful film maker. The thick beard and long hair belie his youthful smile and there are no pretensions as he speaks about his movies, his love for Bangalore and his passions. The term “Bengaloored”, is a derivative of the term “Bangalored”, a US slang which refers to workers laid off because their jobs have moved to India. The movie, shot in English, deals with the story of a young author who returns to Bangalore after 10 years to find an end to his book, to rediscover the city of his childhood and to seek the comforts of home, Instead he finds that his ancestral house is in disarray and on the verge of being demolished, his father has remarried after his mother’s death, his best friend is now a monk. The only respite is that he meets the love of his life from school and they get along like a house on fire, but will she heal his wounds? He struggles nevertheless to recreate a new life, taking bits & pieces, whatever he can get his hands on to create a life worth living. The movie stars Harish Raj (of Kalaakar fame) who plays the lead role of Babruvahana and Meghna portraying the role of Radha. The music has been composed by Vasu Dixit. Swaroop Kanchi says he was never creatively inclined and had wanted to become a tennis player but became a student of designing hoping it will give him time to concentrate on tennis but he realized that creativity soon came naturally to him and he taught himself to make films, starting at the age of 16. “I never really learnt film making professionally and everything was just instinctual learning for me,” says Swaroop. He then started making short films which were highly appreciated and then set out to make “Black Sugar” an english film set in Bangalore. What set out as his first feature film quickly turned his life upside down taking over two years to make and was a catastrophic adventure in itself but not in vain as the film premiered at the New York Film Festival. Kanchi then moved to Los Angeles and went on to working on more Independent projects. He worked with talent from the Hollywood industry on films like “Sleeping with the enemy’s son” and followed it with “Acid” and began working on “Taxiwallah”, both independent films made in LA. Having worked in Hollywood, Swaroop returned to India. “I wanted to work with Indian stories, Indian people and in a culture in which I am comfortable with,” he says.. He made a documentary on the Kumbh Mela and in 2007 ”Hong Kong Dreaming” happened. An English feature film shot in Hong Kong and made with Hong Kong based actors of different nationalities. Swaroop’s next project titled “Buddha” deals with the story of the Enlghtened One and is set to be a big budgeted affair. Bangalore has changed immenselfy, some say, mostly for the bad. The director too feels the same but adds that change is inevitable. “Sitting in my chair, as I watched some people cut a huge tree in front of my house, it broke my heart. It’s sad to see the way Bangalore is chaning but change is a way of life,” he says with a sigh. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Other Articles and Interviews

Cover Story

 

Rajeev K John & Subin Joy

 

Posted On Friday, September 19, 2008 at 03:42:07 PM

Denied even the banal comforts of childhood, having endured suffering that we the middle-class can only contemplate in anodyne smugness, he has become an eponymous figure for orphans everywhere. The aptly-titled Superman and the School of Necessity, a short film directed by UK-based film-maker Debs Gardner-Paterson of the We are all Rwandans fame, has catapulted Abhisurya, all of 10 years old, from suburban obscurity to instant recognition, at least among the art and cinema cognoscenti worldwide. The orphan from the nondescript Hosur village on the outskirts of Bangalore plays the lead role in the acclaimed movie about the travails of out-of-school children, which was screened last night at the Nashville Film Festival in the USA. Yet, Abhisurya’s life story is more than just an 80-minute ticket to a potential Hollywood blockbuster. His eyes are wise beyond his years, a lifetime of suffering subsumed in that crinkly smile and spontaneous laughter. Already aware of how ephemeral things can be, he addresses his new-found prominence with a wry humour and ironic detachment that most adults would envy. “They told me to act, I told them I had no idea of what they are talking about. Then Manjula aunty (a crew member of the film) told me to visualise her as my mother and to speak, which I did. Next, I was taken to a village where the shooting was done. At the end, the English-aunty told me that my performance was very good,” Abhisurya says matter-of-factly. Lauding him, the film’s co-producer Swaroop Kanchi said: “He has done a great job. He has received great reviews on the blogs after the film festival. We are exploring the option of making it a full-length feature film.” LESSONS FROM LIFE Ironically, the jolly 10-year-old who refuses to go to school in reel life, in fact, was deprived of education in reality and forced into child labour. Working for 14 hours in a powerloom and getting thrashed regularly, Abhisurya yearned to go to school. He grew up prematurely, teased by the neighbourhood boys for having an alcoholic as a father. At eight, when he returned from school one day, he saw his mother lying on the floor, her eyes closed forever. “She was dead and all that I can remember about her are images of her unloading sand from a rickety tractor. I never saw my father again,” Abhisurya told Bangalore Mirror, fighting back tears. Abhisurya and his younger sister Kamala then went to live with their grandparents, who in turn packed them off to a relative’s house in Bangalore’s Tavarekere area. After an year of schooling, he was pulled out and sent to a powerloom factory in the vicinity. “I used to work from 7:30 am to 9 pm every day and used to earn Rs 500 per week. I gave Rs 400 to my caretakers and left the remaining Rs 100 with the factory owner as my saving. But all hell broke loose when the factory suffered losses. The owner told me not to come to work, but my caretakers presumed I had become lazy and they used to thrash me everyday,” he recalls. A SAMARITAN STEPS IN But he saw a ray of hope when a neighbour, whom he calls Rita aunty, decided to hand him back to his grandparents. But his troubles did not end and soon, unable to stand it anymore, Abhisurya ran away from home. Subsequently, he was rescued from the city railway station by Bosco Mane, an NGO that rehabilitates street and working children. Here, Abhisurya’s life changed. Bosco director Fr Geo Kalladanthiyil says: “He did not take much time to get along with other children, he was full of energy.” Abhisurya’s tryst with filmdom was accidental. It started when Debs, along with crew member Manjula Saikumar, visited Bosco Mane in Chamarajpet two months ago looking for a child artiste. Abhisurya’s name was suggested. The rest, as they say, is history. After the movie was completed, Abhisurya’s peers started calling him ‘Superman’. But what made him more happy were the chocolates that he got after the shoot. Abhisurya is yet to see the movie. “I was told that they will screen it in my hostel, I am waiting to show it to my friends,” he says. But does this little superman, who is a great fan of Kannada star Darshan, aspire to become a film hero? “No way,” he says, adding, “I want to become a doctor as I can serve a lot of people. If I become a film star, I might have to lead a selfish life.” Now, those are words to treasure!

I dont know. But sometimes when the flow of nature brings upon me adventures such as this. Predicaments waiting for me to unravel and come to peace with, I find a certain joy within. A sense of excitement about the adventure and utter hopelessness and to an extent acute carelessness, coupled with me being possessed by the spirit of Action.

So let things that ought to come my way come when they do. I will walk the path that is ahead. Let’s see where existence takes me. But ofcourse all way I want to be Home. Following my heart, will it take me home? some say Heart is Home. well I will wait for it to reveal itself.

Seated amidst the snowcapped Himalayas. I wondered what needed to be done now. I was here, left a lifetime of memories behind, family, friends, people I loved and cities I dwelt in, all things of the past. Nothing more to hold on to, no one I can call my own, none to love and most importantly alone, in the wildness of the mountains.

Taking away everything I ever had, who am I? I thought. No one, what was I doing, no idea, was I on the right path? was there a path, a life worth living, was it something good, something Bad? Nothing made sense anymore, large were the peaks of snow & strange were my thoughts about everything, lost in confusion and chaos, doubt and utter frustration I waited, Waited for something to happen, something to take over me, possess me, help me, move me, but nothing came along, I just sat there, neither in peace nor silence, just waiting. But no help came. No one there who cares, none to whom my existence mattered. Just the chilling wind of the himalayas and the utter loneliness in my heart.

Tears would be good, I imagined, but my eyes having lost the sweetness of emotions, dried up in mundane intellect let me down. Heart heavy, unable to carry on holding together broken pieces of life together I prayed for an end, an end to this reality, to all the dreams, to all the aspirations, an end to everything I know as me. An End. Clouds hovered above looking down with pity at a man who had lost his soul.

-excerpts from an untitled work by Swaroop Kanchi

Click below for more pics.

I have to say Its always very interesting for me to be in front of the camera as opposed to behind it. it just gives me a new perspective on performance and Direction.

The photography is by Arjun Kamath.

I was Invited to give a lecture to some Business Management students at Acharya B school. It was definitely a fun activity and enriching experience to actually visit a college and interact with the students. Myself being practically uneducated this was definitely something unusual.

We spoke about Entertainment as an Industry and managing people, assets and emotions while making a film. The questions were quite forthcoming and I think we managed the talk pretty well. Maybe Next time I can record the talk for further reference.

-Swaroop Kanchi

Below is an online version of the same for easier reading purposes.

Publication: The Times Of India

Date: May 30 2010

Section: Bangalore

‘Change is inevitable’

And that, says film-maker Swaroop Kanchi, is what his next film, Bengaloored, is all about

VIVEK KURUVILLA THOMAS

There is a thin line dividing separation and isolation, and very often, we fluctuate between them. Swaroop Kanchi’s latest directorial venture, Bengaloored, focuses on the growing feeling of disconnect that Babruvahana, the protagonist of the movie, experiences when he returns to Bangalore after being away from the city for 10 years. Written, co-produced, directed and edited by Swaroop, the movie documents a young man’s journey from sheer bewilderment at Bangalore’s transformation to a joyous rediscovery of his love, life and friends.

Babruvahana’s story is quite similar to that of Swaroop, who spent his childhood in Malleswaram, and then began globe-trotting, shooting films in LA, Mumbai and Hong Kong. So is it a biopic on his life? “No, it’s more of a commentary on the changes occurring in Bangalore. I am too young for a biopic on myself,” laughs Kanchi. Just as the main protagonist, essayed by Harish Raj of Kalaakar fame, is dazed and confused by the paradigm changes that have taken place in the time that he was away, so are a majority of Bangaloreans, feels Swaroop.

And 26-year-old Swaroop, insists that Bengaloored cannot be bracketed as a youth-oriented movie. “Anyone who has ever experienced separation in any form can relate to my movie,” he maintains. And several housewives came to speak with him after a preview in Mumbai, telling him how much they loved and identified with the characters in the movie. Although Swaroop is a regular recipient of awards and accolades (his film Hong Kong Dreaming enjoyed a successful premiere at the UK International Film Festival), he still faces hurdles in terms of financing and distribution. “I have experienced hurdles at every step, from indifference to a complete lack of support,” he says. But that hasn’t prevented this gutsy self-taught filmmaker from aiming for a nation-wide release for Bengaloored.