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Time of India

My directorial debut just had to be in my mother tongue i.e, Tulu, says Pruthvi Ambaar

From a modest cubicle as an RJ in Mangaluru to sprawling film sets in Chennai and Hyderabad, 'It still feels unbelievable. I've worked not just in Kannada, but also in Tamil and Telugu cinema. I'm just grateful to have sustained this long,' reflects actor Pruthvi Ambaar on his journey so far. 'Now, the desire to direct has come to the fore. I owe it to my mother tongue, Tulu; it gave me my first recognition as an actor, and it feels right to begin my directorial journey with it.' Excerpts from a conversation: 'THOUGH THE TULU INDUSTRY IS SMALL, IT CONSISTENTLY DELIVERS HIT FILMS' 'Since I was busy working in other industries, I hadn't gotten time to do a film in my mother tongue, Tulu. When I knew I wanted to take on directing, I owed it to my roots to make a film in Tulu,' he explains. Pruthvi notes that Tulu films rarely appear on OTT platforms or get satellite rights. 'They rely almost entirely on theatrical releases in Mangaluru, Udupi, Mumbai, and the Middle East. It's the deep love people have for their language that drives them to the cinemas. My directorial venture starts filming in September, and I'm grateful for the support from the entire Tulu film fraternity.' 'WE NEED TO GIVE NEW FILMMAKERS A CHANCE FOR THE KANNADA FILM INDUSTRY TO THRIVE AGAIN' 'I understand the trend now is to make big films and hope audiences show up. But the solution lies in small films making a big impact. Good directors struggle to find producers, and good producers can't find dependable directors. The lack of strong writing is another issue. If we give small filmmakers and modestly-budgeted films a real chance, I truly believe the Kannada industry can thrive again,' says Pruthvi, about the recent lull in Kannada cinema. Despite not having space on OTT platforms, the Tulu film industry has remained consistent in feeding theatres with content that fares well. Its comedians continue to be the biggest crowd-pullers Pruthvi 'I WASN'T AWARE THAT YASH'S MOTHER WAS THE PRODUCER OF THE FILM WHEN I TOOK UP KOTHALAWADI' Speaking about his upcoming work, Pruthvi says, 'Kothalawadi created quite a buzz. Honestly, until a month ago, we didn't even know who the producer was because someone else fronted the set. I accepted it not because it's produced by Yash's mother, but because it's an amazing revenge drama—and it features one of my favourites, Gopalkrishna Deshpande.' The Kannada industry welcomed me warmly after I moved from Tulu. For me, Tamil and Telugu films happened organically Pruthvi