An ‘extra careful’ effort

A Hyderabadi chose to leave his government job to make movies and he chose to make it in Kannada. So when you meet D. Saiprasad, you know you are in for an insightful conversation, one about the purpose behind films, especially children’s movies.

Having worked in the media for over two decades and with the government in areas like the Human Resource Development Authority, Saiprasad is equipped with the right balance of real-world reality and the creativity that is required for celluloid. “When you are making movies for children, you need to be extra careful about how you present it. That’s why I chose to shoot in Karnataka. I wanted the Cauvery in the backdrop with the hills. We even shot underwater,” adds Saiprasad.

Education and friendship is woven into his film 'Sneha Yatre'. A girl from a higher section of society aims to be on par with a boy belonging to a different section. The lines of conflict in the characters are gender and class while education becomes the bonding force of the narrative.

Saiprasad used some of the lessons he learnt during his HRD days to put sense into the film. “Children are not listening to their parents and their teachers. They are not even their primary influences. So there is a need for children’s films to be made. And these films should carry the value systems that need to be transported to the next generation,”  says.

“Karnataka is way ahead of our state in promoting art for children. They even give large subsidies and this is important for us to learn,” he says.
However, the only complaint Sai Prasad has is the fact that his movie is being screened at Shudha Theatre — the filmmaker feels the public will miss films screened here because of its location! “The Children’s Film Society India (CFSI) should really think about the venues they pick as well,” he says.