Sreedhar: ‘Head Bush’ is a stylised retelling of real incidents

The writer and former don opens up to Vivek M V about the Kannada biopic on the Bengaluru gangster M P Jayaraj

Dhananjaya (centre) plays Jayaraj in 'Head Bush'.

Head Bush’, directed by Shoonya and starring Dhananjaya, is a biopic on Bengaluru gangster M P Jayaraj, often termed as the city’s first don. Agni Sreedhar, writer and former gangster, who scripted two noted gangster films — ‘Aa Dinagalu’ (2007) and ‘Edegarike’ (2012) —- has written the film’s screenplay.

The movie, set to release on October 21, is adapted from Sreedhar’s book ‘My Days in the Underworld: Rise of the Bangalore Mafia’. Sreedhar spoke to Showtime about the film. Excerpts:

How different is ‘Head Bush’ from the previous adaptations of your book?

‘Aa Dinagalu’ and ‘Edegarike’ were made on a small canvas. They were almost personal films. They didn’t have well-known names. ‘Head Bush’ has a big star cast and is mounted on a bigger scale than those two movies. So I have adapted my writing to match the scale of the film. We have adopted a stylised treatment to the story as our first goal is to recover our investment. ‘Head Bush’ is not just about the underworld. It is about showcasing the major developments in Bengaluru between 1974 and 1978. Our film shows how a city is not just built by politicians and officials. It is also built by the common people, including rowdies.

What do gangster films try to tell people? What attracts people to this genre?

If all films changed the society and people were influenced by the so-called messages in movies, there wouldn’t have been any need for people like us to be part of the underworld. I am a storyteller, and I want to present on screen the people I lived with. Nothing in the story is alien to me. The underworld happened amid the same people and society, and not outside of them. The characters came from the same family of scientists, politicians and journalists we know of. The movie is a medium to understand the city you are living.

Anything connected to violence will make people curious. They know that violence is the moving force in society ever since civilisation. But ‘Head Bush’ isn’t just about that. It shows the psyche of these characters, their relationships, and how they lived and behaved on a day-to-day basis. Of course, there are portrayals of larger than life characters, well-known politicians, and big police officers in the movie.

Why haven’t we seen many well-made gangster flicks in Kannada?

In Karnataka, not many filmmakers, writers, and directors were involved with the underworld. Whereas in the USA, top personalities, literary figures and filmmakers had a connection with the mafia. Here, I am the only exception. I was somebody who was interested in literature but got pulled into the underworld and that helps me add authenticity to my stories. ‘Om’, ‘Jogi’, ‘Aa Dinagalu’, and ‘Edegarike’ are some noteworthy films but by and large, we haven’t made meaningful gangster films.

How close is this biopic to reality?

‘Head Bush’ is not a documentary of Jayaraj for you to expect full-fledged reality. That said, most of the incidents depicted in the film have really happened. I have known all the characters and some of them are even alive today. So the film’s foundation is based on facts. We have also properly utilised creative freedom. My book isn’t a work of imagination. Whether I like them or not, I should to some extent, be sensitive about my characters as people connected to the characters are still alive.

Tells us about Dhananjaya’s preparation to play
Jayaraj.

Dhananjaya is a very sensitive man and so was Jayaraj. But Jayaraj was also very physical. Dhananjaya worked really hard in the gym for his physical transformation. More than that, his expressions and emotional portrayal of the character are terrific.