Danish Sait: I don’t think I’m self made

Danish Sait

Actor Danish Sait, speaks to mid-day.com about his web film, 'One Cut Two Cut,' that released on Amazon Prime Video.

Going by the trailer, the film seems like a simple story set in a school with it's own set of complications...

We shot in the old HMT factory in Bengaluru and it was lovely to go there because the place has been lying without people for a while. Right behind was the HMT layout, beautiful, cute little homes with picket fences. It was lovely to recreate a school environment in that room. Nothing extravagant but beautiful, I must say.

How was it bringing your internet character Gopi into a film?

Yes, we started out with Gopi as a character on the internet and in the first video we put out, Gopi makes a plea saying there are 9 lakh marriages that happen every month but I'm looking for a suitable partner. The response was overwhelming we had about 700 e-mails in five-six hours, saying we will marry you. We realized Gopi is adorable and people liked him. We took a leap of faith and made a film with Gopi being the central character. The only difference is the character has a larger journey in a film, as compared to a two-three minute video. I'm grateful to Vamsi my director for being patient and making suggestions that could better my performance.

Though the film is in Kannada, OTT has ensured language is not a barrier for quality content anymore...
You see what an impact Spanish shows have had not just in India but all around the world! That gives us the impetus and courage to tell a story that can be watched all around the world. Micro-culture is taking a front scene. We have tried to be local but go global.

You started out as an RJ and a host before turning actor, was that always the plan?
There has been a certain amount of concentrated effort to accomplish certain goals. I consider none of what I've done an achievement, it's an accomplishment. Having said that ‘self-made' is often the phrase that people use. I don't think I'm self-made, I'm a result of someone else risking their opportunity to give me one! I've had a lot of right people at the right time showing faith in my ability. Be it the folks when I did radio or Royal Challengers Bengaluru, or film producers I worked with or a platform like Amazon prime video. The drive comes from me and the belief comes from them. A film like this wouldn't be possible if the great Puneeth Rajkumar hadn't put their faith in us.