Krishna cuts it as film director

By Chuah Bee Kim

I WAS born in Segamat but grew up in Malacca. My love for music spurred me to sing and compose songs in 1990.

Eight years later, I began making local Tamil telemovies. I have since directed 14 of them.

I never thought I would end up a film director.

It was not easy for me at the beginning. I could not afford a car. I had to walk everywhere. But because I firmly believe in "no pain, no gain", I persevered.

I enrolled for a film-making course in Singapore. From Malacca, I travelled to a country where I did not know a soul.

To pay for my education, I worked as a janitor. I still joke to my friends that my film-making career started in the can.

My parents were rubber tappers and I was the eighth of 10 children. We were very poor.

Growing up, I had many Chinese and Malay friends. That has helped me tremendously in my career today.

I have also directed a Malay action film, Apa Tengok Tengok, and am about to embark on another Malay film project, this time a horror flick called Aku Akan Muncul. Filming is scheduled to start in September.

My latest film will be shot on location in Gunung Ledang, Kota Tinggi and Desaru.

I noticed that not many local films feature Johor. Being a Johorean, I want to capture the beauty of my state on film.

I have also completed a Chinese film called Countdown. I was the project creative head director. It was shot in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, because the story was based on a true incident that took place there.

Although it was hard to communicate with the Chinese cast, because I had grown up with non-Indian friends, it was easy to befriend and get along with them.

Despite my early acquaintance with them, I still had to do a lot of research on Chinese culture before production began.

For post production, I had to travel to Taiwan.

It was my first Chinese film and believe I am the first Indian director in a Chinese film in Malaysia.

My ultimate dream is to direct a Bollywood movie. In 2008, I worked on a short film with a Bollywood director whom I had got to know after attending a film-making course in India in 2005.

Although local films, especially Malay horror flicks, have big box-office potential, I still want to make it to Bollywood because if you can make it in Bollywood, you can make it anywhere.

I also want to direct and produce a local 3D movie for the local film industry as well as for my daughter, who is 2 years and 6 months old.

I am the only one in my family in the film industry.

I am sad that my late father is not here to take pride in my achievements but I am glad that my mother, who is 60, is able to share my joy.

Red Fire Film Production, my production company, has produced six local films.

It is located near my house in Taman Impian Emas in Johor Baru.

I really have to thank my wife, R. Sarojah, 29, who has been very supportive of my career from the very start. She is also part of my production crew.

Krishna Roy, 32, is the creative head director of Countdown, which will be hitting local theatres soon.

Krishna Roy (in sunglasses) at the audition for the supporting cast of ‘Aku Akan Muncul’ in Johor Baru recently.

Krishna Roy (second from left) is in on the plot with producer K. Yeasu Raja (third from left) and film crew of ’Aku Akan Muncul’. Pix by Nur Aisyah Mazalan

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Krishna cuts it as film director

I WAS born in Segamat but grew up in Malacca. My love for music spurred me to sing and compose songs in 1990.

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