Financial security offers creative freedom: Krishna

Actor and filmmaker Krishna has a simple formula for picking films — if his mind doesn't wander during a narration, the script passes the first test. The second? Wife and actor Milana Nagaraj has to approve it too. "When a director narrates a story, I notice if my mind wanders or if I get bored. If it doesn't, I know the script is good," Krishna says. "Then Milana listens to it. If either one of us isn't convinced, I don't sign the film. That system has worked well for me." He says the same process led him to sign director PC Shekhar's upcoming dark comedy, a genre he hasn't explored before.On becoming choosier after Love Mocktail 2 Krishna says financial security gave him the freedom to stop accepting projects that didn't resonate with him. "Before that, I took up films for stability because I had seen many ups and downs. After Love Mocktail 2, I reached a stage where I could choose stories I genuinely believed in," he says.He adds that watching his own films at premieres became a turning point, and says, "I realised I should walk out of a screening feeling proud, not wanting to hide my face. That's why I've done only a handful of films in the last four years," he points out. Directing the Love Mocktail films changed the way he approached cinema. He says, "Those films are the closest reflection of who I am. I value love, family and the women in my life. I don't drink or smoke, so I don't glorify those habits in my films. I also avoid unnecessary hero-introduction scenes because they don't feel natural to me."He believes emotion remains the strongest ingredient in successful cinema. "The biggest hits are always driven by emotion. We also need more women at the centre of our stories' Krishna feels Kannada cinema should create more opportunities for women, both on screen and behind the scenes. When women play such important roles in our lives, why shouldn't they have equally important roles in our films?" he questions. Krishna adds that he also encourages Milana to take on more meaningful projects: "Every partner should support the woman in their life to do her best."Why only a few films work Krishna believes script evaluation remains one of the industry's biggest challenges. "What we lack as an industry is the ability to judge scripts well. If we had cracked that, only a handful of films wouldn't be succeeding out of the nearly 300 made every year," he says. He also believes regional sensibilities matter, explaining, "Not every story works everywhere. Audiences connect differently depending on their culture and lived experiences. Cinema requires observation and reflection, and that's what ultimately helps create lasting stories."