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| Sesh Adivi |
When I heard of
Karma, I was intrigued both by the title and the backdrop of the film. As I read more about it, I got more curious to watch the film, and I eventually wrote a review too. I was impressed by the songs even before the release of the film, and the visuals and dialogue were appreciable in the film. I got writer-director-actor Sesh's number and spoke to him about the film, and a few times since. Eventually, I felt that an interview would possibly be a good way to introduce the passionate film-maker and actor; the excerpts of an ensuing telephonic interview are presented to the readers of TeluguCinema.Com exclusively:
NaChaKi: Let’s start routinely with your background. Your grandfather Adivi Bapiraju was a part of the film industry in its infancy, and your cousin Saikiran Adivi is in the film world too. Tell us how the filmdom became your career path.
Sesh: Historically, we're not a famous film family, though we were very much into the arts. Bapiraju
taata gaari famous works like
Himabindu and
Gona Ganna Reddy were illustrious and descriptive. Classical music, painting, and writing were always part of the family. Acting and direction started with my parents' (my dad and his many brothers) generation, though they all ultimately pursued academic careers. My father himself has a passion for films and is an accomplished Pediatrician.
[Sai] Kiran
annayya and I were able to succesfully take the full step into making films. I studied film in San Francisco while
annayya joined Sekhar Kammula
gaari direction team for
Anand. On a personal level, I'd been directing short films since the age of 14.
Karma was probably my 9th or 10th full-length script; it was one of my "special category" scripts, in the sense that it was more than just a script - it was more personal to me and ultimately meant more to me than a regular commercial script. At the beginning of the process, I wasn't sure if I'd ever make another film again. So, I picked the only script from the "special category" that I could do in a limited budget.
Karma was it for me. Most of the scripts I wrote in this category required huge budgets...
NaChaKi: Acting, writing, or directing – where does your passion lie the most? Adivi Bapiraju
gaaru was a highly multi-talented individual. Did your passion in multiple fields stem from such ancestry (though Bapiraju
gaaru is not a directly related grandfather)?
Sesh: Bapiraju
taata is my grand uncle, and my own grandfather Gangaraju
taata was a freedom fighter for India. He penned literature on Thyagaraja and was an accomplished Carnatic singer too. However, I don't think it is a question of ancestry - the reason is probably my American upbringing, I don't think of talent necessarily being genetic. However, when an artistic culture flows in the family, children develop similar interests naturally and cinema, perhaps, became my passion thus. ...I consider acting and directing to be distinct passions and I love them both separately, independent of each other. As an actor, I don't feel the need to constantly direct myself - I'm perfectly comfortable and willing to be directed by someone else. As a director, I would love to direct a super-talented actor or a big star in a lead role, someday.
NaChaKi:
Karma was born out of a near-death experience, you said earlier. How did your own life-changing accident inspire a story within your mind?
Sesh: You're right, the accident itself didn't bring about a film like
Karma in my mind. It simply made me realize how incredibly lucky I was to survive such a devastating accident. The numerical probabilities were simply too rare, for it not to be called a miracle. This car accident simply helped plant the germ in my head about what it would be like, if a man walked amongst us, yet was not normal like all of us. Maybe, he has extraordinary powers or he may not even be of this world. What would be his secret? What would be his truth? I'd been reading the
bhavishya puraaNam and at that point, I was able to put two and two together. Thats how
Karma was born.
NaChaKi: A story like
Karma requires considerable knowledge of Hindu mythology and philosophy, apart from literature. Did you have the necessary expertise already, or did you build yourself up after the movie idea was born?
Sesh: Though I come from a spiritual family, I wouldn't exactly consider myself a database on spirituality. I am, however, a spiritual person. Regardless, I dislike the use of the word "mythology" because the word is flawed in itself. I find that the word "mythology" contains the word "myth", meaning its credibility is questioned and on a deeper level, maybe even considered false. I prefer using the term history when referring to our "
purana-s". I don't believe I'm an expert of any sort but I have to admit that extensive research was conducted once the movie's idea was born. I already had a bit of knowledge that I had gained from my interest in the subject. Not many audiences might know that the usage and placement of places such as "Shambhala" or names such as "Padma" in the film have direct relevance to the details mentioned in the
purana-s.
NaChaKi: What was the motive to make
Karma in the U.S.A. instead of India? Was an American crew a part of the plan or did it just happen o because you zeroed in on the U.S. already?
Sesh:
Karma would ideally be placed in India but I thought it might be fresh to consider Indian spirituality in a Western context. I find that too much of our belief system is based on it being limited to India, but I don't see a reason for it to be so. This decision did prove to be a tad bit controversial for the film though - to be based in the American backdrop, I mean. ...I was based in California then, and it made practical sense to use locally available experts for my crew instead of taking the pains of processing visas and flying in an entire unit from India to the U.S.A. Several NRIs worked alongside the American crew too. Also, reputed technicians like Ethiraj (sound design), Devi Krishna of Ramanaidu studios (mixing), Amit Shetty (colorist) worked for the post-production of the film in India. On the other hand, James Laxton's work as a cinematographer is one of the highlights in the film.
Karma is ultimately a film made by Indians, Americans and Indo-Americans!
NaChaKi: And, why was an American heroine chosen? Nearly all your other actors were Indian...
Sesh: The decision to cast an American girl, Jade Tailor, in the role of Padma is both creative and practical. In my research, "Padma" is mentioned as an extremely fair-skinned girl, I thought it might be interesting to see a heroine with an Anglo-Indian look. In fact, later in my encounters with audiences, I felt the appreciation of Jade Tailor's acting skill was nearly unanimous. The same goes for the artiste who dubbed her voice, Lakshmi Katyayini, an NRI. In this context, special mention must also go to Ujwal Kasthala, a prominent NRI Radio Jockey who did the Dura voice in the film.
NaChaKi: I really liked the language used in the film - it was refreshing to hear such chaste Telugu in a Telugu film after long - but I also know that some audiences felt it to be too artificial. What was your motivation to write thus?
Sesh: I'm tired of anglicized Telugu ("Tenglish") sometimes. Like most normal Telugu boys these days, I use English words when speaking Telugu as well, so I'm not necessarily against it. However, I feel it has almost become the only way to speak. Is it so wrong to speak just Telugu? Also, considering the spiritual undertones of the film, especially the climax, it wouldn't have made sense to speak in a mix of Telugu and English. That decision would have probably had its own share of detractors then.
NaChaKi: Looking back now, what do you think about the whole experience of making
Karma? What might you wish to change in the film if you had a chance to do it all over again?
Sesh: The narrative style we used in the film was quite different from what Telugu audiences are used to. The film is meditative and philosophical - something very different from contemporary Telugu narratives. ...Creatively speaking, I think most filmmakers would always want to change things in their film, even if they're done with it - that's a part of the nature of filmmaking. As a filmmaker, you're always wanting your baby to be better and better. To me though,
Karma was one of the most intense experiences I've ever had. In this almost two-year process, I slept very little, worked harder than I'd ever worked - my stress levels had never been higher, as I did nothing else in these two years other than work on the film solely. I don't think I would do much to change what I've learnt. Some cost-cutting here and some shortcuts there, maybe, but then I can only do those now because I learnt them in the process of making the film.
Karma taught me more than any film school could - I am proud of the film.
