Rakshit Shetty holds a cult status among followers of Kannada cinema, especially after his 2016 film Kirik Party. The teaser for his next film Avane Srimannarayana was released on Wednesday.
The teaser shows a Western-style tavern, in which a swashbuckling Narayana — played by Rakshit — evades attackers and fights back, all while enjoying a meal. It ends with Narayana eventually being outnumbered by gun-wielding men who handcuff him.
The film is set in a fictional village and the shooting of the film began earlier this year in March, with parts of the film shot in arid locales in North Karnataka.
The big-budget venture marks the directorial debut of Sachin Ravi and also sees Shanvi Srivastava in a lead role with Achyut Kumar and Balaji Manohar also playing pivotal roles. Salman Anand and Chandan Achar, who previously worked with Rakshit in Kirik Party are also part of the cast.
Rakshit Shetty and the Seven Odds team of Rishab Shetty, Abhijith Mahesh, Kiran Yakssha, Dhananjay Ranjan, K Kiranraj and PB Chandrajith wrote the film. They had previously come together to write Kirik Party.
With a talented cast on hand, fans are eagerly awaiting the release of the film. The teaser which was released yesterday has already viewed over 180,000 views on YouTube.
After making a breakthrough with the acclaimed crime-drama Ulidavaru Kandanthe in 2014, he followed it up with Vaasthu Prakaara and Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu, before cementing his cult status with the 2016 comedy film Kirik Party.
All four films were made on shoestring budgets and, were critically and commercially appreciated.
Avane Srimannarayana takes a huge leap in budget, with reports putting it at Rs 30 crore. Produced jointly by HK Prakash, Rakshit Shetty and Pushkara Mallikarjunaiah under the banners Shree Devi Entertainers, Paramvah Studios and Pushkar Films, Avane Srimannarayana is scheduled to be released in December 2018.
Until now, all our films were written for and made under constrained budgets; this time though, we have taken a huge leap. Not only in terms of budget but idea, backdrop and the cinematic experience. I hope you all like this teaser ☺ #AvaneSrimannarayana https://t.co/KVSUkYaVSs
— Rakshit Shetty (@rakshitshetty) June 6, 2018
You can watch the teaser here: