SITTING DOWN for the first day, first show of Dhananjaya-starrer Gurudev Hoysala in Mangaluru, a young boy still in school walked in. He saw me taking notes and during the interval stepped up to say: “Aunty, adhu namm Daali (Aunty, he’s our Daali).” The kid, who hailed from North Karnataka, had just landed in the city for entrance exam coaching, but rushed to the theatre to watch his idol’s 25th film. Because, like thousands of others, he considers Dhananjaya his.
This, says actor-lyricist and producer Dhananjaya is his greatest treasure and earning from his 10 years in the industry.
In Gurudev Hoysala, directed by Vijay Naagendra, Dhananjaya plays a trigger-happy cop who takes on those who kill in the name of “honour”. Amid all the gunfire, there are nuggets of wisdom, drawn from the sayings of social reformers. In real life too, Dhananjaya takes a pro-people stand when it comes to any issue affecting the common person.
He’s also an intuitive actor who gets the nuances right — think Monsoon Raga and Rathnan Prapancha.
In a conversation with this writer, Dhananjaya spoke about making it this far, the challenges he faced and how he surmounted them, and why fans are his greatest strength. Edited excerpts:
It’s been 10 years since you entered the industry. How do you see your journey?
At some level, even before I entered the industry, during my theatre days, I knew I was an actor. They would celebrate my presence there, and as a performer, that’s the only thing that matters. This love of people told me this is where my future lies. I had a string of flops — eight to be exact. None worked at the box office till the character of Daali happened [in Tagaru, with Shivrajkumar]. Even then, my fans were waiting for me to click at the box office. They kept watching, kept watching. When Daali happened, they celebrated it like they’d won. Just imagine, they spend their hard earned money to put up posters, to buy stickers for their vehicles. I’ve grown up seeing other heroes being celebrated thus. I’ve celebrated cinema, growing up. And, when I saw my photo being stuck on someone’s bike, I was incredibly moved.
You’re known to be a versatile performer, who can be loud as well as sensitive on screen. Is this versatility accepted well?
Ah, let me put it this way. I strive for versatility and love it when I get a great script and director and a film that calls for nuanced acting. Sadly, those films did not get audience approval. Right now, I am in a situation where box office returns and business too matter. And so, like others before me, I strike a compromise. I cannot afford to take that kind of risk now. I’ve come this far after great difficulty and I have to focus on the business. I have shown my versatility, now is the time to focus on the business and expand my audience. I hate using the word, and I’ve rarely used it, but I wish to answer my “haters”, who keep pushing forth propaganda. I did let it slide initially, but now have decided to tackle that hate.
Does this social media prattle affect you?
It never used to, but when there is a concerted campaign to reduce your film, reduce you, it hurts. This came to the fore most with Head Bush. I took it as a challenge and released the movie. It made money. It worked on OTT. But the fake numbers talk did get to the team. Here’s how I see it though: When you are the subject of propaganda, it means you are worth their time, that you are someone they fear, that you are not irrelevant as they claim. Also, I don’t understand comparisons. Every film has its journey. Every film need not be a 200-crore film or a pan-India film. We all grow step by step. I’m still taking my first few steps.
