From pencil to picture: Rathan Gangadhar’s ‘Sees Kaddi’ draws from life and friendship

A nonetheless from the movie
| Picture Credit score: Particular Association

The Kannada movie, Sees Kaddi, marks Rathan Gangadhar’s directorial debut. It’s an anthology that explores tales about kids via the metaphor of a pencil. The movie has already made a mark on the pageant circuit.

It was screened on the Indian Movie Pageant of Melbourne (2023), chosen for the tenth Noida Worldwide Movie Pageant (2023), the place it gained Finest Path, and in addition featured on the Bharat Worldwide Movie Pageant (2023), the place it obtained the Finest Youngsters’s Movie award.

Regardless of the accolades, Rathan stays anxious. “I solely hope the movie appeals to the viewers,” says the 39-year-old director, who has beforehand helmed quite a few advert movies. Explaining the title, Sees Kaddi, he says, “It interprets to ‘pencil’ in English.” The movie is a drama designed for youthful audiences, crafted as a bridge between mainstream and children-focused storytelling.”

Structured as a hyperlinked anthology, its narratives don’t comply with a chronological order. “As an alternative,” Rathan explains, “they replicate the expertise of utilizing a pencil — you write, erase, sharpen the lead, and proceed. The tales unfold in the same rhythm.”

Born and raised in Bengaluru, Rathan is an alumnus of MES Faculty, Malleswaram, the place he first found his ardour for theatre and writing. The concept for Sees Kaddi, he reveals, was sparked by a single paragraph he learn in a brief story assortment by Paulo Coelho.

“I learn the guide in 2016, and one thing about that paragraph stayed with me. It touched me deeply, and I started constructing tales round these phrases and ideas.” What began as a spark quickly advanced right into a collaborative effort.

“My pals and I got here collectively to form the story and develop the screenplay,” says Rathan, including that the whole crew behind the movie consists of shut pals. “They’re my sounding boards, my collaborators, and now, my solid and crew. Sees Kaddi is a movie made by pals, with pals for an viewers we hope will turn into pals too.”

Rathan shares that Sees Kaddi encompasses a wealthy tapestry of dialects from throughout Karnataka, together with rural Tumakuru, Bengaluru, Havyaka, and North Karnataka. “I consider the Tumakuru dialect hasn’t actually been explored in cinema,” he says. “Since my father is initially from Tumakuru, I’ve a particular fondness for it.”

Director Rathan Gangadhar
| Picture Credit score:
MURALI KUMAR Ok

Rathan started his journey within the movie business in 2012 as an assistant author. “Sadly, the movies I labored on by no means noticed the sunshine of day, however I discovered an amazing deal via the method,” he displays. He later transitioned into promoting to hone his filmmaking abilities, engaged on a number of high-profile campaigns, together with one that includes the late Puneeth Rajkumar.

Regardless of his background in promoting, Rathan admits that advertising and marketing a movie presents a complete new set of challenges. “Cinema is a very totally different ball sport altogether,” he says. Sees Kaddi is produced below Grahana, a manufacturing home he co-founded in 2017 with pals Sampath Shivshankar and Krithi Nannnaiah. That includes a solid of theatre and baby actors, the movie launched on June 6.