Working in all departments on the set has made me an all-rounder: Santhu

Award-winning director Santhu, of Alemari fame, may have had a bit of a setback with his last directorial Darling, but is now back with what he calls a youthful entertainer. The director, son of popular assistant art director Harish, more or less grew up on various movie sets as he watched his father at work, then working in various departments before turning to direction himself.His debut, Alemari, won him the state award for Best Director. Santhu speaks to us ahead of his upcoming release, Dove. Excerpts:
Tell us about your entry into the film industry...
I have, indirectly, been a part of the film industry for as long as I can remember. My father used to work in the art department and I used to accompany him to the set. I would watch him work even when he was back home. When I grew up, getting into the film industry was almost a given. I worked with set design, and then moved on to write and even assisted director Prem on a couple of his movies. I also worked on the costumes for films like Jogi. I write lyrics and continue to do that for many of my friends in the industry. Working in all departments on the set for over five years has probably made me an all-rounder.
After a high with Alemari, your second film Darling did not do as well as expected. Any lessons learnt?
Yes, Darling turned out to be a big lesson for all of us who jumped into production without the sort of experience that one would require for it. The genre too, was very different from what I had done before. I feel I am more in the know and geared up now, thanks to the setback I faced with my second film.
What is Dove about?
It is a youth-oriented story that has a message for both youngsters who fall in love, as well as parents who may or may not be aware of the sort of things that could go wrong with their children’s lives because of their relationships. Around 40% of the film is based on real incidents, those that I have seen and heard of. So it is as realistic as it can get.
It’s an all-new cast. Was that intentional?
Our lead actor Anup is producer SaRa Govindu’s son. He makes his debut with this film. The heroine is Aditi Rao, who has been an actress on the television. We did approach a couple of well-known commercial film heroines for the female lead, but found that most of them looked older than Anup, which is why we decided to settle for a fresh face. Anup went through a year of training in dance and fights to fit into this role. He has not been to any acting school as such, but we have trained him specifically for this role.