Mangalore: In an exclusive interview with choreographer and actor Sandip Soparrkar, where he shared his transformative experience playing Guliga Daiva in the Kannada film 'Koragajja'. He described the role as a spiritual journey, feeling the deity's presence during filming. Despite controversy surrounding the film, Sandip remained positive, crediting divine blessings for its release. Sandip also shared his connection with Dharmendra's family and hoped for his speedy recovery.
00:12Well, what my role here is I play Deva called Guliga Deva, which is a very ferocious God who eats chicken.
00:19And he is very, very angry, very aggressive.
00:22And I was so humbled that Sudhir asked me to play this role.
00:26I have never done something like this before.
00:28This is my first Canada film. I've done other languages, but this is my first Canada movie.
00:32It feels absolutely brilliant because to perform something which is so culturally rich, so traditionally rooted, I think it's an honor.
00:39And I've had some brilliant spiritual experiences while shooting the song.
00:43I actually at some moments felt that this deity who I don't know about was a part of my dance.
00:49And I remember before I went on to go on and do this dance form,
00:55I prayed to Guliga, who I don't really know because I'm not a follower of the deity.
01:01But I prayed to him that I'm performing your character and I hope I can do justice to what you have been doing.
01:08And I hope you all love what I have done because it's a lot of hard work that we have put in.
01:12Do you want to go on to Guliga? What's the reality you do in real life?
01:20Well, Guliga is very aggressive. I am not that kind, but I think the dance, of course, yes, is.
01:26I do a dance called Paso Doble, which is a Spanish bullfight dance, which is aggressive dance form.
01:31So I think as a dancer, we adapt to various situations and various dance forms.
01:36And it was a great experience.
01:38So these actually gave us some references of how Guliga dance takes place.
01:43And tonight when you all come for the event, you will see how the dance happens.
01:46And that is what we tried to bring about in the dance.
01:50Ashutosh Aria helped us to put this dance together.
01:54So I think it's it was a great experience, a new language, a new God, a new experience.
02:00I think that's what as actors, as dancers, we get to do.
02:12True.
02:14Well, the controversy happened and they didn't want us to shoot this dance at all because they were against the entire movie of Karadarja, against Guliga as a character.
02:32They even were not very happy that a non follower of Guliga was performing that particular role.
02:37So I think a lot of issues took place.
02:40I remember I would take almost four and a half hours to get ready for that makeup and two hours to remove the makeup.
02:46And middle of the shooting, it was to be canceled.
02:48I was blocked for three nights to shoot.
02:50But I shot for it for almost eight days because every time we started to shoot, it was, you know, stalled.
02:56And I'm glad that controversy did come off slightly.
03:00And now the movie is coming out.
03:02Sir, does it be in my mind also that Aliyah performed the idea that was his picture?
03:10But is there a maximum danger or something that will happen?
03:17Well, initially there was, but I just personally feel when the blessings of the God comes onto you, there is nothing that can stop you.
03:25And I must say that this film definitely is blessed with so much of controversy, with so many problems that they have faced.
03:32It is still coming out, which means there is some energy somewhere of Koragajja, some energy somewhere of Guliga, which is blessing them by saying, bring out the story.
03:42And I think that's what is most important.
03:44I think this film is totally rooted and culturally in essence, like they say, the Mitti ki Khushbu.
03:58This is what this film is all about.
04:00It's not the famous gods that you see all over and in our country.
04:03It's not a Ram.
04:04It's not a Krishna.
04:05It's not a Shiva.
04:06It's a very tribal story.
04:08And I think that's important because that is what is true India is.
04:12That is what our culture is supposed to be.
04:14That's from where we all come around.
04:15And I think that's coming out as a movie.
04:18I think it's something to enrich us and to make us more experienced as people.
04:31Well, I think comparing the two cinemas would be quite difficult, but yes, I'm sure.
04:36And I completely agree that a regional cinema has its own stories because every region has its own little culturally rooted things.
04:43And why not?
04:44And today with this new age cinema coming around and so much OTT coming around, it's much easier to bring out different, different languages.
04:52And I am so happy that something like this is coming up.
04:58Well, you will see some coming up.
05:00I will not want to speak about it.
05:01Just my new song, which I directed and I photographed called Oh Jaane Ja, just released last week.
05:06So go and watch that one and the rest you will see coming up.
05:09Oh, Dharam Ji's family is extremely close to me.
05:16Aisha is my student.
05:17I have been performing with Hema Ji for the past 10 years as Shiva and she plays Ganga.
05:21I just hope and pray that Dharam Ji recovers really soon.
05:25And we get to see him again at all our rehearsals.
05:28We get to see him at all the pujas that I attend for them.
05:30And he's a wonderful man with a golden heart and a great family that they all have.
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