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One of the most talented yet down-to-earth actors I've met, Harshil Koushik stars in Anamadheya Ashok Kumar, a thriller that looks amazing and is bound to be awesome! I have yet to watch it, but I'm sure with a stellar cast such as Kishore and Harshil, and great direction and writing from Sagar Kumar it will definitely be something that will set a trend in Kannada cinema in the days to come.
Here is a conversation with one of the leads of the most promising Kannada movie out right now:
1. The motion poster and teaser look amazing, but can you tell us what the movie AAK is about?
AAK is a crime investigation thriller that revolves around the murder of a high-profile lawyer. A press reporter Praveen Rajashekar (Kishore) who was at the crime scene during the brutal death of his interviewee reports to the police but as the investigation proceeds things seem to get murkier.
Circle Inspector Athirath (Harshil Koushik) who is the investigation officer is under great pressure to solve the case within the night before the press gets any idea about the crime.
Athirath has to break through the gates of a seasoned press reporter and reach the actual happenings of the evening that lead to the murder. Is Praveen the victim, the witness or the culprit?
2. How did you land your role in the movie?
When AAK was initially supposed to be going on floors, I was supposed to play another role in the film. Unfortunately due to some unforeseen issues, the shoot got pushed back by a year. During this time I had 4 releases including Aachar & Co. and I had put on some weight (who knew this would work in my favour).
A few days before the final production date, I got a call from the director Sagar saying we have Mr. Kishore's dates and are preparing to go on floors on Sep 4th. I casually asked him who was playing Athirath now as I knew the actor who was supposed to play the character had moved to Mumbai. I was secretly hoping he had not zeroed in on anyone and as luck would favour he said they are considering a few profiles. I jumped in at the opportunity and said I would be interested.
Sagar was hesitant as he hadn't met me in the past year and assumed I still was lean like in Aachar & Co. The co-director Shiva pitched in saying I actually look bulkier and would suit the role. It was the day of SSE - Part A release and I was on the way to the theater to watch the film and Sagar called back after a few minutes saying if you reach the production office within the next hour we'll consider you for the role.
I stopped my vehicle right then and there, immediately took a U-turn, and headed straight to the office. One costume trial and the role was mine! We started shooting in the next 3 days.
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3. Is there a social message in this movie?
Well, I guess if you look closely at any story there is a social message that will be observed either consciously or subconsciously. As viewers when we root for a particular character, we take upon his/her journey as our own and find our takeaways from it.
This film is written to be a pure thriller for entertainment purposes only, but I'm curious to see what the audiences will take away. There are multiple interesting layers in the film, the dynamics in the police hierarchy, the varying standpoints between police and the press, and so on.
4. How was it working with Kishore?
It was an absolute delight. I'm in total awe of him. Not an ounce of bad attitude was shown irrespective of the conditions of the place where we shot or rested or about the food. It was a very small crew and production setup and Kishore never made any of us feel small. He was respectable towards each and every one of us. He led by example as to how a senior needs to be on set and I would like to keep those lessons in my journey ahead.
From the first to the last day of the shoot, I never once did I see him irritated or frustrated. And as an actor, it was such a great experience how to support your co-actors when they were fumbling. Oh, I was fumbling so much on the first day of the shoot. He told me it's totally fine, it happens to everyone. Such words really gave me so much confidence and helped me to pick up from and get better over the day.
There were quite a few scenes where I was beating him up. All of that seems real on screen because he worked with me and all the experience of being in such sequences made my life so simple.
4a. Did you get to ask him about Kanthara?
I wish I could, But the shoot schedules were so tight and time-bound, that most of the time we were shooting. The film runs mostly on our characters and we are on screen most of the time. But Kishore sir was the one who would lighten the set's moods with his one-liners. Oh, and there were a lot of them. Or it would all be work, work, work for us.
4b. Any cameos we could expect? Also callbacks and references to other movies?
There are no cameos as such. But there are some roles in the film that I believe will leave an impact on the audience. A dear friend of mine Veeresh who was a part of films like Project Sharapanjara & Family Drama is one such actor who has done a phenomenal role in our film.
He is a surprise package considering the comical image he has got from the previous films. References and callbacks are not intentional if you find any when you watch the film. But I would say the film might remind the audience of films like Maharaja or The Usual Suspects. There are enough twists and turns and mind games.
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5. Are there any practical effects and special effects in the film?
As you already know there is a murder scene in the film, and there were special effects created through makeup. Shubani was in charge of makeup and SFX for this project and I think she's done a fantastic job. In fact, I should take this opportunity to talk about her commitment to the craft.
In between shoots, Shubani met with an accident and broke her arm. She took a day's break and the next day she was on set with a cast on and working. She completed the shoot in pain but never let her work get affected one bit. Such an inspiring technician.
6. What was the duration of the filming of this movie?
We shot for the film for 20 days. Started the shoot in Sep 2023 and wrapped it in November 2023. Most of the shoot happened in September and few a sequences were shot in November.
6a. Can we know the key filming locales for AAK?
The film has mostly been shot in and around Yelahanka and a few sequences in Srirampura.
For readers who are not from Bengaluru, these are areas in Bengaluru.
7. What can we expect from AAK regarding action, acting, music, and plot points?
With Kishore sir in the film, everyone already expects a measured performance and he continues his streak with this film as well. He is so good and for all aspiring actors, it's like a class where you can learn how to show as little as possible yet say a lot! Veeresh is another pick in the film for me. It's a very realistic film with no unnecessary drama.
Music is by Azaad who has worked as an associate with Yuvan Shankar Raja in Tamil films. Azaad makes his debut as a composer with this film and I would give a lot of credit to him for uplifting the film with the background score. I'm sure it will be highly talked about post-release.
Regarding the plot points enough has been said through the promotional content. Now you will have to experience it on the big screen. There are enough twists and turns to keep you glued to the seats till the end.
