Kahi Kavsadze is an actor loved by many generations of ex-Soviet people. He became a star of Soviet cinema after the ‘White Sun of the Desert’ appeared on screens, in which he played the part of Abdullah.
Mr Kavsadze is still full of creative energy: he presented his new film “Is There a Theatre There?” at the 18th Minsk International Cinema Festival. The actor told our VK correspondent about this film and about other aspects of his professional life, as well as about Georgian cinema in general.
- Kahi Davidovich, do regular people always ask you about the ‘White Sun of the Desert’? Or are they also interested in your other works as well?
- Today they ask me many questions on various subjects. As for my older movies, the ‘White Sun of the Desert’ included, I try not to watch them at all, I saw them only by accident. I’m not really fond of watching myself on the screen, you know.
- So you feel sceptical about your talent?
- I often feel that I could have done certain scenes in a different manner.
- Are their many new films appearing in Georgia now?
- No, only some two movies a year. The financing is running low.
- Do you teach?
- I tried to teach my daughter’s friend once, in the 1990s, but it was not a success on my part. And even if they criticize the Tbilisi Institute of Theatre Arts, still a lot of good actors graduate from it.
- Could you tell us about your family, please?
- I already have grandchildren. And we are all actors, except for one of my grandsons.
- What movie and theatre parts do you prefer?
- I don’t have any actual preferences. I just want to play as professionally as possible.
- What can you say about your most famous part – the one of Abdullah in the ‘White Sun of the Desert”?
- When I first saw this picture in 2000, I tried to look at it as a regular viewer. I remembered that initially the ending was different. And you should remember that there’s more to this character than there is in the final version of the film!
- So what is the secret of this film's immense success?
- I often try to figure it out. Usually this type of movie – which tells about the fighting between the Red and the White movements – are incredibly boring. But ours is absolutely fascinating!
- Was it your first part in cinema?
- I was 33 years old back then. But it is true that I didn’t have many parts before that. It was my first star-part.
- Speaking of your most recent film: where does its set come from?
- It used to be a railroad carriage repair plant where Joseph Stalin used to work as a young man.
- How did the idea of this picture appear?
- My father was subjected to repressions in Stalin’s era. It was the 100th anniversary of his birth, and I organized an evening in his memory. And my daughter’s best friend, director Nana Janelidze, told me that she was inspired by it and wanted to shoot a movie. It came up again in two months. When I saw the script I wasn’t sure at first, as I have to talk too much about my life, but she persuaded me. We shot it in 12 days.
Interview by Sergey Chubakov, exclusively to VK
