Bengaluru, 18 July

When life gives him lemons, Kannada rapper-turned-actor Chandan Shetty, who leads his debut, ensemble cast film ‘Vidyarthi Vidhyarthiniyare’, all set to be released on 19 July, said he usually makes lemonade out of them.

"Take my song ‘3 Pegs’. I released it in 2016. Even today, there is no club or pub in Bengaluru that will not play that song. It has got over 157 million views on YouTube alone. The song was my answer to that DJ in a club in Mysuru who not only looked down on me when I asked him to play a Kannada song, but also got a bouncer to throw me out of the club," Shetty told PTI.

Shetty said his long winding road to success involved a flop album and years as a lyricist, singer and assistant music director before he could finally break through as a name to reckon with. "At every step, I questioned the accepted reality around me. When I started off as a playback singer/music composer, for instance, it made me sad that the credit always went to the hero for a song, the persons behind it were hardly acknowledged. This was accepted by my peers in the industry, but I was not ready to take it as it is," he said.

This was partly the reason why, said Shetty, he chose to travel the less trodden path – an independent musician singing in Kannada. "The other reason was because ever since I was in college I always wondered why it is possible for Punjabi, Hindi and even Tamil musicians to sing in their mother tongue, but not for us." Although the album that he cut back in 2009 flopped, it did not deter Shetty to go on this path again.

"Only this time I decided to make a video for the song, so people know who is singing. Many of my friends and well-wishers in the industry advised me against it, saying it would affect my film prospects. But I have already made up my mind," said Shetty.

As it turned out, ‘Halagode’, a rap in Kannada, released in 2015 turned the tide for Shetty, earning him the tag that stuck to him like a second skin, ‘Kannada rapper’. "Did I feel vindicated? Yes, of course. A new star is born, is how the media called me. I was ecstatic because for someone who grew up watching all those Punjabi and Hindi hit songs on SS Music and VH1, this is the ultimate I could ask for. Plus, it proved me right. There’s space for more than film songs in Kannada," he said.

Then on, with each of his new releases, Shetty made himself more comfortable as a star, scaling new heights. His 2020 hit, ‘Party Freak’ was so popular that he released a Telugu version as well. But when he tried to push the envelope further, for instance, reinterpret a folk song – ‘Kolumunde Jangamadeva’, a song popular in the Chamaraja Nagar region of Mysuru district – Shetty said he met with resistance again.

"It created such a furore, while all I wanted was for the new generation to enjoy an older Kannada song. The original music label backed out, it couldn’t face the heat and deleted the music video," he said.

Although he stepped back, Shetty said this is not the end of it. "I still feel that the new generation should be made aware of old gems. You see, the only available recordings of these old songs often are of lower quality that they are not going to listen to them and the songs, which enthralled generations, will slowly fade away from memory. The very fact that the deleted song is reprised by people on YouTube, with millions of views, shows that this is not the end for these kinds of interpretations," added Shetty.

But for now, rapper Shetty is planning to focus on the windfall that fell on his lap – being an actor. "Director of ‘Vidyarthi Vidhyarthiniyare’, Arun Amuktha, approached me out of the blue to act in the film. I guess because the character is that of a musician. But I want to take advantage of this unexpected break and establish a name for myself as an actor. I think this is a beautiful profession where you can inspire people, leave a legacy behind for eternity," said Shetty.

But he feels that the Kannada film industry itself should reinvent itself if it wants to push back against intense competition in the entertainment space. "Kannada creators should come up with original ideas and not simply remake other language films. There are seven crore Kannadigas out there and all of us are looking to be entertained. So, if the content is good, people will watch," said Shetty.

As for his debut film, he said it has a good script. "It’s about the problems that Gen Z faces, it has a beautiful message, which is packaged entertainingly. I don’t see why it won’t resonate with people," added Shetty. But if the unsaid happens, and the film finds no takers, Shetty said he still is confident and determined to get to the top.

"I have walked this way; I have faced failure before. So, I know that it is the stepping stone to success. I know that hard work always finds acceptance. I will learn to be a good actor, I will choose good characters and just like I made it as an independent musician, I will also make it as an actor," said Shetty.