Movie explores Gandhian values

BANGALORE: Are Gandhian values relevant even today? Can people live by them?
Director Girish Kasaravalli seeks answers to these questions in his movie 'Koormavathara' based on the short story by Kum Veerabhadrappa. It's scheduled for release in a couple of months.
"The movie is not based on Gandhiji's life. There's a character called Anandaraya, an honest government worker who is selected to play Gandhiji in a TV serial and finds similarities between his personal life and that of Gandhi.When he tries to live by Gandhian ideals, he fails and faces embarrassing situations. I explore these issues.''
Kasaravalli has devised some interesting sequences. "After Anandaraya accepts the role, he becomes very popular. Then his son and his friends start exploiting the image of Gandhi and Rao strongly objects to it. There's a rift between father, son and daughter-in-law who stands by her husband. It reaches such a pass that Anandaraya pleads with the serial director to finish off the character.''
For Shikaripura Krishnamurthy, a Sanskrit scholar from Mangalore who plays Anandaraya, it was a unique experience. "When I met Kasaravalli, he said I was most suitable for the role. When he told me the story, I felt good to work on this project."
Though Krishnamurthy is not new to acting, he was a bit nervous about this role. "I've seen Ben Kingsley play Gandhi and prepared myself by reading books about Gandhiji. There was no make-up. I had to shave my head thrice a week, had to wear 'kachche panche' and a shawl, carry a stick and put on round glasses. I even had to stoop a lot. The role has very few dialogues,'' he said.