Film director Ashwini Iyer Mishra, actor and director Rishab Shetty, veteran actor Prakash Belawadi and actress Malavika at a session on Cinema and Culture-When Local is Universal during Mangaluru Lit Fest at TMA Pai convention center, in Mangaluru on Friday.
| Photo Credit: H.S. MANJUNATH

Expressing the need for stories from different parts of Karnataka, actor and film director Rishab Shetty on Sunday said locals are better placed to bring out the essence of their culture and practices, which will be certainly accepted world over.

Participating in the final session on ‘Cinema and culture – when local is universal’ at the Mangaluru Lit Fest, Mr. Shetty, who rose to fame with his popular movie Kantara, said the beauty of Kannada is the way the dialect changes after every 20 kilometers. “Each of these dialects have their own sweetness and people relate to this in a better way,” he said and added, “Therefore there is need for stories from different parts of State.”

He said works of writers namely Da.Ra Bendre and Shivaram Karanatha have clicked because they are written with a native touch.  “We can show our culture in a better way when we are micro connected it,” he said. 

Filmmaker and writer Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, director of Bareilly ki Barfi said she always encourages writers to come out with stories in the language they are comfortable with. “Do not feel scared to bring out films in your own language,” she said and added that because of dubbing people are understanding essence of film in their own language. It is important to tell the stories connected with culture to today’s youth, who are proud of culture they belong to.

Actor and playwright Prakash Belawadi said stories based on personal experiences click if they are placed in the related cultural setup. “What becomes local will turn global,” he said.

Mr. Shetty said he has started working on a sequel to Kantara. “It’s a big long story. I am working leisurely on the sequel,” he said.

Actor Malavika Avinash conducted the session.