I owe every film of mine to Vijay Sethupathi: Eashvar Karthic

Eashvar Karthic makes a striking comeback with Zebra, a commercial thriller that masterfully blends artistry and action. In this interview, he delves into the challenges of filmmaking, his genre-spanning creativity, and his dynamic collaboration with Satyadev.

Q: Why did it take four years for your next script?

Eashvar: The pandemic caused an unexpected break, and I went into a shell. During that time, I worked on multiple scripts and took the time I needed to finalise one.

Q: Why do you name your films after exotic animals?

Eashvar: (Laughs) That’s something I plan to change with my next movie. The Zebra title was accidental—I needed a title tied to a black-and-white concept. Penguin symbolised duality; it’s both a soft and brutal bird, much like the dual nature in people. Zebra represents the balance between good and bad, and I wanted the title to reflect that.

Q: Penguin is made for a certain section of audience, expecting it would be received by them. Zebra is a commercial thriller aiming at all kinds of audience. How confident are you?

Eashvar: Absolutely. Penguin was an offbeat drama, whereas Zebra is a mass family entertainer. Audience will get the same feeling that I got when I first wrote the first draft. That will make Zebra a good content. It has a strong screenplay. Story can be disclosed in two scenes but the screenplay has to be engaging. I believe that the screenplay of Zebra is gripping. I'm targeting the age between 20 to 45.

Q: What did Satyadev do when he first listened to the story?

Eashvar: Satyadev read the script before we spoke. He told me he had some doubts, which I clarified. He got convinced with the script. I asked him to read the script rather than narration.

Q: What's the reason to include “Daali” Dhananjaya?

Eashvar: This is kind of a two hero concept. The protagonist is an antagonist kind of concept. But the antagonist has some perspective, right, there is some justification for everything, that's what ‘Adhi’ character is. When you plan to do a movie with Satyadev like Zebra, but the budget is coming out of Satyadev's market. So we need some support, we required support from the neighbouring market, so that's why I tried for Dhananjaya. Satya introduced me to Dhananjaya, I had already seen his ‘Rathnaprapancha’. I'm absolutely ok with him. He is also called ‘Natarakshasa’ there. Zebra success is like an underdog winning moment because no one really knows any of us properly.

Q: Why did you choose Satyadev for this role?

Eashvar: After watching Pitta Kathalu, I was convinced I had to work with him. Then I saw Uma Maheshwara Ugra Roopasya and realized his role there was close to Zebra’s Surya. The audience is meant to feel conflicted about whether Surya is good or bad, and Satyadev portrays that ambiguity perfectly.

Q: Tell us about the heroines Priya Bhavani Shankar and Jennifer Piccinato and Amruth Iyengar?

Eshvar: Since banking is a multicultural world, I brought in actors like Priya Bhavani Shankar and Jennifer Piccinato. Each actor adds a unique dimension to the story. Since banking is a multicultural world, I brought in actors like Priya Bhavani Shankar and Jennifer Picinato. Each actor adds a unique dimension to the story.

Q: What inspired you to create Zebra?

Eashvar: After Penguin, I wanted to prove myself by doing something different. That’s how Zebra came to life. Zebra is out and out commercial but it blends artistic and commercial elements seamlessly. This combination works for only a few films. The screenplay is gripping, with character arcs, comedy, and emotional depth balanced perfectly. I target audiences aged 20–45, and I believe they’ll connect with it.

Q: Why did you choose to work in Telugu cinema?

Eashvar: I grew up in Tamil Nadu, but. The salary and market there, it has to be proportional, the flourishing Telugu industry caught my attention. I've admired Telugu audiences since Anand because they always appreciate good content. For Zebra, I prioritized what was best for the story. I gave Satyadev only for that role in Tamil as well as Telugu. For Adhi’s role I tried others, yes, but not many wanted to work with the director who has not proved his calibre. It's no one’s fault, at the end of day it's their careers. My last and first choice was Dhananjaya from the Kannada industry.

Q: Is there a message in Zebra?

Eashvar: I don’t write films with the intent to deliver a message. However, Zebra explores situational morality. For instance, in a situation where truth leads to harm and lies prevent it, which is morally correct? The film delves into such complex questions.

Q: There are many movies based on criminal life stories nowadays. So, how did you bring balance in your story writing about the good and bad?

Eashvar: Usually people are loving the negative shades in a character nowadays. We don't know why that is now. Even in Shankar films, the hero will ask the question what the common man will ask. When someone else reacts to the bad but they themselves won't react to the bad that happens to them. If there are anti-heroes in real life, karma will pay them back. But in movies, directors should take a stand. For example: If a butcher is chasing a cow, there is a Y-junction, the cow went to the right. When the butcher came to that spot, there was Gandhiji standing, so the butcher asked Gandhiji where did the cow go, if Gandhiji says right the cow will die, but if he says left it means Gandhi lied, but Gandhi says never to lie. So, what should he do here? Morals and ethics are dependent on the situation. Based on that I designed my characters.

Q: Do you miss acting?

Eashvar: No. I'm happy where I am right now. I started as a junior artist, always wanted to act in a good movie. After coming here I was interested in script writing more than acting.

Q: When did you start writing?

Eashvar: I’ve been writing since a young age. I also run a theatre group in Chennai with a friend, but cinema has always been my passion. I love cinema more for its variations.

Q: Which one do you find exciting? Theatre or cinema?

Eashvar: Cinema is amazing. Theatre is single shot take and is over-exaggerated. Can play variations on digital, a lot of emotions can be captured within the frame, and should be subtle yet expressive. Theatre is just an experience to know how to connect with the audience, if the audience gets disconnected, we raise our voice to wake them up. I still support theatre groups in Chennai and Bangalore.

Q: Were there any visual or specific stylistic influences that shaped your approach?

Eashvar: Yes. Vijay Sethupathi played a pivotal role in shaping my career. I fell in the ocean searching for an anchor. He helped me. I met him while he was doing the ‘96 movie, and narrated a sci-fi film. He has a very good script knowledge. He said he would give me half-hour time but after I started narrating it went on to 3 hours. He started liked my writing. Later he explained to me how to envision the scripts. He guided me. I owe him so much in my career. I thank him for every movie I do.

Q: What's your inspiration for cinema?

Eashvar: I'm a diehard fan of Jackie Chan. My father used to send me to movies alone for his movies. I used to enjoy his movies a lot.

Q: Zebra was shot in how many locations?

Eashvar: The movie happens in 3 major cities, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai. I had said that Zebra is equal to making two movies because there are 78 different locations in the movie. We shot in many locations for small to big scenes. 40% happens in bank.

Q: How is working with Kattappa?

Eashvar: I follow him from so long as I'm a Tamilan mainly. I wanted to introduce him in Telugu as he has not done any character like this before. He made me so comfortable, and let me give my feedback about the scenes and acting

Q: How did you get Ravi Basrur onboard?

Eashvar: We picked Ravi sir because there are mass elements in this film at the same time banking world is there which requires westernised music like jazz. When I wrote the film I gave the genre as it is a musical financial crime thriller because there are 8 songs and different bgms for every character. This music has a new treatment. As he is also a director he knows everything. Everyone should work with him once in a lifetime. He does one movie a year. He knows where to give the pause and where to give the music. That's why everyone should work with him. It's new that a music director knows everything and requires less input.

Q: Any fun incidents on the sets of Zebra and about the locations?

Eashvar: There were 5 Satyas on sets, so I called everyone by their screen name, because we couldn't call Satya1, Satya2, right, Sathyaraj as Baba, Satyadev as Buddy, DOP Satya as DOP Satya and not many know Priya Bhavani Shankar’s name is Satya Priya, so I used to call her by her name in the movie called Swathi and comedian Satya as comedian Satya only. It was very funny because if I didn't call by these names, everyone would get confused and answer me when I just said “Satya” (laughs). Satyadev and Dhana knows me when I'm tensed, and they come and calm me down.

Q: What are your next projects?

Eashvar: I have many scripts ready, like I said the science-fiction genre to rom-com genre. Everyone is legendary in their own career paths. And legends won't repeat, everyone has their mark. I used to see Shah Rukh Khan as the Indian actor who got inspired by Jackie Chan, as he himself said this. There is no one like Jackie Chan to do such action films but everyone else is unique in their way.

Q: Will you be working with Vijay Sethupathi soon?

Eashvar: Like how I chose Satyadev for Zebra and Keerthi Suresh for Penguin, I choose the actors depending on my script. Script is my first priority then I search for the actors.