Sana Qureshi
Udupi, Oct 20: The recently released Kannada movie 'Kantara' is winning appreciation from all around. The movie has broken box office records. But there is one person from our own Udupi who is the man behind the success of 'Kantara' movie for its slick editing work. Meet Pratheek Shetty, a native of Udupi district.
Pratheek has handled the entire editing work for 'Kantara' movie. Pratheek is also involved in many of the Kannada movies and has been doing cinematography as well from an early age. His first film as editor was Sarkari Hiriya Prathamika Shaale Kasargod which won the 66th national film awards in 2018. He is also known for working in films like 777 Charlie, Kantara, and Hero.
Born on July 12, 1994 in Puttur, Pratheek completed his schooling in Kundapura and Manipal. He worked as an in-house editor for the Grammy-winning artist Ricky Kej for three years. He now owns a production house called Darkbirdfilms.
He has also directed the music video for the Grammy-winning album 'Divine Tides'. His video work on climate change was showcased at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President François Hollande. (‘Shanti samsara’ by Ricky Kej)
He has also worked on songs like Bengaluru for French Biryani, Demon in me and intro from the film Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana , Mother Earth, and Aigiri Nandini.
Sarkari Hiriya Prathamika Shaale was his first feature film in which he worked as an editor. In fact Rishabh had been following his work, especially the albums that he worked on. When he got Karavali (song) to film and edit, he was extremely happy with the output.
Kantara is his second film with Rishabh shetty. The first was Sarkari Hiriya Prathamika Shale. Prateek’s editorial debut won a national award for the film. Kantara is set in a fictional village of Dakshina Kannada, and it is the visual grandeur that brings alive the traditional culture of Kambala and Bhootha Kola.
For Kantara, he walked down his own memory lane to make the film as realistic as ever. On the editorial front this project had immense scope and Rishabh gave him the freedom to explore. “I am eternally thankful to him for taking me back to my childhood through Kantara” says Pratheek.
Pratheek has also worked as a director of photography for Puneeth Rajkumar’s last film “Gandada Gudi” which is going to hit the screens soon. “To work with an idol is an opportunity that never comes our way. I grew up listening to his songs and instances where I danced to his songs in my childhood. It was an honour for me to work with Puneeth Rajkumar” says Pratheek Shetty.
Pratheek has shot some exceptional visuals in the Gandada Gudi movie. Filming for this project was challenging for him. There wasn’t a script to stick to. Endless shoot hours in tracking the wildlife were not so easy. In fact he had a task to first understand the flora and fauna, research upon the species behaviours and habitat to capture them into a film.
“Puneeth Rajkumar was an inspiration. He wore humility like a jewel around him. This film is also his last journey. He travelled the whole of Karnataka just to show the audience the beauty that lies within our state. Through this project, he wished to bring the nature, wildlife and glory of Karnataka to viewers’ reach. Technically, the project was challenging. They shot the film completely in natural light and with a limited crew of 10-15. It’s a raw theatrical experience and everyone should watch it just for its sheer beauty, if not anything. I am simply grateful to Appu sir for taking us on this journey with him,” opines Pratheek.