It has been well publicised already that veteran Kannada actor V Ravichandran will be starring in a film titled Kannadiga, directed by BM Giriraj. Touted to be a period drama, Kannadiga is about Reverend Ferdinand Kittel, well-known for creating the first Kannada-English dictionary.
The latest buzz is that popular actor-producer Rockline Venkatesh will also be seen in a pivotal role in this film, according to Cinema Express. Interestingly, V Ravichandran and Rockline Venkatesh have shared the screen space in a couple of films before and have a good rapport.
Besides these two actors, Kannadiga will also star Jamie Alter, son of the late actor Tom Alter. This film will mark Jamie’s entry into the Kannada film industry. While Ravichandran plays the role of Samantabhadra, Jamie will be seen as Reverend Ferdinand Kittel.
About 80% of the film’s shooting has been completed, and the team is now busy with post production work. The technical crew of Kannadiga include Ravi Basrur for composing the music and GSV Seetharam for cinematography.
Besides roping in theatre artists for various roles in Kannadiga, the director has also cast actor and director Chi Guru Dutt in a pivotal role, along with Bhavana, Jayashree and Bhavani Prakash. A major part of this historical film has reportedly been shot in rural areas.
Speaking about the film, director BM Giriraj said in an interview earlier, “That Kannada is probably the only language a dictionary for which was written by a foreign national piqued my interest, and I began researching Kittel. I wouldn’t describe the film as a historical documentary. But yes, it is a drama based on a historical fact.”
On getting V Ravichandran on board, the director has said that being a versatile actor, Ravichandran has reached that point in his career where he is ready to take risks no matter how the response at the box office is. Giriraj has said that the actor is blessed with a great aesthetic sense, and considers himself fortunate to have met him in the right phase in his career.
(Content provided by Digital Native)