A movie high on drama and raw emotions

Popular for his role in the play, A Boy with the Suitcase, and, of course, his Kannada debut, Parari, theatre person Shrunga BV is one among the talented upcoming actors in the film industry today. A mechanical engineer by qualification, it did not take Shrunga long to figure out where his passions lie. At 21 years of age, the versatile actor has even played an eight year old onstage for Gumma Banda Gumma — one of Kannada’s longest-running plays on the stage.Ahead of his next — Ring Master — Shrunga tells us of his journey so far…
What makes an individual who is keen on a career in the performing arts take up engineering? I studied to be a mechanical engineer because that was the thing to do. Everybody in my family took up engineering and that was almost like the most natural thing to do. But telling my parents that I wanted to pursue a career in the arts instead was almost like a scene out of a film. My father worked with the BBMP and I went to his office one day and told him I wanted to be an actor. I still remember that day, he did not say anything at first. He drank a glass of water from his desk, thought silently for a bit and then said, ‘OK’. I thought it was quite filmi. My mother had more to say, but things have settled down over the years. Now I know my parents are proud of me. They make it a point to watch all my plays and they like seeing me onscreen too.
Tell us about moving from theatre to films... I work with the Benaka Troupe, which is managed by TS Nagabharana now, after BV Karanth. I am also part of Ranga Shankara, and continue to perform with them. Director KM Chaitanya helped me move to films too with Parari. And now, there’s Ring Master, which has a very interesting story that takes place in just one night.
How different was it to act in Ring Master? Ring Master is high on drama and is raw in terms of portraying emotions. It involved a bit of relearning too because you are constantly figuring out what expression will work best for the screen as opposed to what we do onstage. But for me, it was about forgetting the presence of a camera and just acting.
Do you feel people will relate to the story? It features three youngsters living together. On New Year’s Eve, they decide to invite an entertainer home for some fun. The rest of the story is about the crazy events that follow. It was a challenging role and my only regret is that I will not be in the country to gauge the audience reaction first hand when the film releases.