Bengaluru’s Natesh Hegde has made an exciting Kannada movie called ‘Vaghachipani,’ which is going to be shown at the famous Berlinale film festival in Berlin from February 13 to 23. This has made it the first Kannada film ever selected in the Forum Main category of this festival!
‘Vaghachipani’ is Natesh’s second movie. His first film, ‘Pedro,’ received a lot of praise at film festivals around the world, but it hasn’t been released in theaters in India yet. Natesh also mentioned that ‘Pedro’ helped him find a producer for ‘Vaghachipani.’ Anurag Kashyap, a well-known filmmaker, wanted to help Natesh and ended up co-producing the new film along with Ranjan Singh, who produced Kashyap’s movie ‘Kennedy.’
Natesh met Anurag at a film festival showing ‘Pedro,’ and they quickly became friends. In fact, ‘Pedro’ introduced Natesh to another producer, Jeremy Chua from Singapore, who also co-produced ‘Vaghachipani.’
The Berlinale described ‘Vaghachipani’ as an example of “Indian cinema of stylish assurance and concision.” Natesh believes his approach to filmmaking makes his films stand out from the usual Kannada movies. “For me, making a film isn’t just about telling a story; it’s also about what I want people to learn or feel from it,” he says.
Natesh sees himself as different from many others in the Kannada film industry. He grew up in a small village that is hard to find on Google Maps, and he still lives there. He created his own space for filmmaking, which allows him to break away from common movie styles.
He doesn’t agree with the idea that a person’s background decides their artistic taste. “Having lots of access to art doesn’t make someone an artist,” he explains; it’s more about what you watch and experience. Even though he lived in a tiny village, he loved watching movies from a young age. “I watched everything I could find, even pirated films. One film inspired me to want to make movies,” he recalls.
He particularly admires filmmakers like Abbas Kiarostami and Robert Bresson, whose work influenced his own style. Natesh is thankful for his parents’ support in his journey to becoming a filmmaker, even if they didn’t completely understand his dream. Interestingly, when he became a filmmaker, his father acted in ‘Pedro’ and surprised everyone with his talent, even being nominated for ‘Best Actor’ at a film festival!
‘Vaghachipani’ is named after a village near where he lives in Karnataka, which means “where tigers drink.” The film tells the story of a mentally challenged shepherdess facing issues with patriarchy. Natesh filmed it on a 16mm camera with cinematographer Vikas Urs, who also worked on ‘Pedro.’
Last year, Natesh’s friend P S Vinothraj made history with his film ‘Kottukkaali,’ which was the first Tamil film to premiere at the Berlinale. This news has been shared by an automated news service without changes to the text.
