Equipped with a gripping trailer and a couple of melodious songs, debutant director Sukesh Nayak seems to be on a mission — to tell a sweet little love story that takes place in the world of the visually impaired. And to do that, he has National Award-winning actor Sanchari Vijay, who has left no stone unturned to experience the world of the visually impaired to play his character. “After I gave Vijay the storyline and material that document the lives of visually-impaired individuals, he took it upon himself to get into the skin of the character. He not only spent close to 15 days at a hostel for the visually impaired, he also went about his daily routine at home with a blindfold. I recall, he called me one day to say that he actually managed to make his perfect cup of coffee one day in spite of being blindfolded,” says Sukesh.
Interestingly, the filmmaker, who has worked with directors like Nagathihalli Chandrashekar, chose this story as his debut, because he was keen on telling a story that would open the audiences’ minds to a whole new world. “We assume that most people with a physically disability are either from economically backward sections of society or are a group that feels deprived all the time. But that is far from the truth. In addition to having known a visually-impaired man who has been a childhood friend, getting to know them reveals interesting aspects of their personality. Apart from the fact that they cannot see, there is a sense of self respect that they have. They lead normal lives and go about their routines like the rest of us — to the extent that they do not like to be called disabled at all. There are some sweet moments from their lives that have been incorporated in the film — for instance, how they stand in front of the mirror to comb their hair and get ready before stepping out, to how well they are able to iron their own clothes. There is this guy at a hostel for the visually impaired who is an inspiration. He prepares all the meals for the 40 members at the hostel, even though he himself is visually impaired,” says Sukesh.
Speaking about the title of this film — Krishna Tulasi — Sukesh feels it represents the essence of the story — pure and sacred. “Most homes use the Krishna Tulasi patri for their morning puja. Initially, my characters had different names, but after we decided on the title, we changed the names of our lead characters to Krishna and Tulasi. Add to that the fact that the Krishna series have a lot of recall value in the minds of the audience too,” says Sukesh.
Ahead of this week’s release, Sukesh tells us, “This story is far from your dose of college love stories or the action-oriented mass films that we have in the Kannada film industry lately. At this point, with the film all set, there is about 75% of nervousness, because I hope this turns out to be a story that people will connect with the way I have visualised they would; and 25% of happiness, because it is about realising my dream of turning director with a story I feel strongly about.”
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/kannada/movies/news/krishna-tulasi-explores-the-world-of-the-visually-impaired/articleshow/63799788.cms