Niveditha Shivarajkumar: I am privileged and can take risks, but I do want to see my business safe

When Niveditha Shivarajkumar, the daughter of Century Star decided to take the plunge into film production it came at a time when returns on investment were not guaranteed from the theatrical business or the non-theatrical rights. And yet she could soldier on and make her debut film, an experimental venture called Firefly that she absolutely believed in because she has the privilege to take risks – something that she is acutely aware of, but does not want to make a habit.

Niveditha Shivarajkumar: People say I keep playing around with my father's money

“I felt that something new had to be done in the Kannada film industry and I had the privilege to take a risk. I have met so many people in the last 2-3 years, new guys with stories or others from the industry that I have known for a while, who just want to do amazing stuff, but don’t have a producer to back them. People don’t want to invest on them. I am trying to get safe with my business, because I can’t keep taking investments or loans from my parents and take it for granted that I can do what I want,” says Niveditha in conversation with OTTplay.

But that’s the impression that the general public has of her, right? “Yeah, yeah, it is like that. People keep saying that I am playing around with my father’s money. My response is that for any business, you will take a loan from someone and that’s what I did, but from the family. I am trying to make a profitable business out of it because I can’t only keep talking from my parents. It doesn’t work like that. In fact, I did make money with the web series I made, even though it took a very long time,” she adds.

*Waiting eagerly for Shivarajkumar's 45? Watch his award-winning films like Om, Chigurida Kanasu or his more recent hits like Ghost and Bhairathi Ranagal on OTTplay Premium*

Niveditha tells us that when she decided to collaborate with Vamshi, a lot of “well-wishers” wondered why she was investing on a newcomer instead of doing a film with her father or any other A-list star. “I can do all of that, but that would be so cliched. See, me getting into the family business and making films itself is cliched. Which is why I need to prove a point and be a part of helping those who want to do good cinema. That’s what I would love to do,” she elaborates