Kannada film helmed by Hollywood director via video call to release on 23 June

Direction via Skype calls

The crew of ‘Road King’ followed the directions of filmmaker Randy Kent through a Skype call. (Supplied)

Actor Mateen Hussain, a US resident, told South First that he approached Hollywood director Randy Kent to work on a Kannada project.

Though he was initially sceptical, Randy Kent liked the script and came on board to direct Road King.

“However, due to technical reasons, the director and his crew could not get the visa. It got rejected twice. Hence, it was decided to complete the project through video conference (Skype) calls,” Mateen Hussain recalled.

The procedures for getting a visa for a film crew are quite tedious. The team, including him, ended up messing them up which resulted in the rejection of the visa, the actor explained.

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60 days of shoot

‘Road King’ director Randy Kent. (Supplied)

Despite the hurdles, the shooting of Road King went on as planned, but with the help of technology.

“The credit goes to director Randy Kent who had so much clarity when it came to filming. He had everything prepared right from the storyboard. He would closely monitor and approve the scenes that were shot under his guidance,” Mateen Hussain remarked.

The film unit would begin the shooting at around 8 AM every morning. But Randy, since it was a late night in the USA, would stay awake the whole night till the crew packed up for the day.

At times when the crew shot in remote areas where there was no connectivity, they would shoot the film and share the footage later via WhatsApp. The director then looked into and suggested any changes, if any and finally approved it, the actor recollected.

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Hollywood sound designer

A working still from ‘Road King’. (Supplied)

It is not just Randy Kent, but a popular Hollywood sound designer too is a big part of Road King.

Scott Wolf worked as a sound designer for more than 100 films, including Mission Impossible (1996), John Wick (2014), and Fast and Furious (2001).

When the film team, especially lead actor Mateen, approached the sound designer, he said he was thrilled to be a part of the project.

“We are sure about one thing — the quality of the background score will be of Hollywood standards. The audience would not have ever heard such background music. Scott Wolf is amazing,” the actor exclaimed.

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Obsessive Ex Syndrome

Director Randy Kent explains a scene to the crew. (Supplied)

A romantic drama, Road King is based on a syndrome called “Obsessive Ex Syndrome” where the “ex” always tends to live in denial and never accept that the relationship is over.

The film stars Mateen Hussain and Rukshar Dhillon in the lead.

Mateen, who grew up in Florida in the US, said he was involved in theatres since his high school days.

“Though I tried my best, actors of Indian origin would get only supporting and minor roles like taxi drivers and gas station employees. So, I came to India,” he pointed out.

When Mateen Hussain was auditioning, renowned Bollywood actor Anupam Kher picked him up and trained him in his acting drama school ‘Actor Prepares’.

“I always wanted to blend the aesthetics of American filmmaking with Kannada culture. Hence, I’m making my debut in Road King,” he signed off.