Veteran actor V Ravichandran will be starring in a film titled Kannadiga, directed by BM Giriraj. Touted to be a period drama, the film is set in the time of Reverend Ferdinand Kittel, well-known for creating the first Kannada-English dictionary. Speaking about why he decided to make the film, director Giriraj said in an interview to TOI, “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.”
He added, “However, it is also equally about the lives of the common people, as they are the ones who suffered the most. The story of my film is based on one such family of scribes, who documented historical works. If we look back in time, writers like Pampa might have created the literary works, but those have been passed on through generations by the scribes. So, in that sense, they were the manual printing presses. They preserved every word. In the movie, Ravichandran essays the character of a member of a family of scribes.”
On getting Ravichandran on board, the director said that being a versatile actor, he has reached that point in his career where he is ready to take risks no matter what the box-office response. Giriraj said, “He’s blessed with a great aesthetic sense, and I think I’m fortunate to have met him in the right phase in his career. I attribute this to destiny. Five years ago, he would have probably not taken up a film like this.”
According to the director, Kannadiga will be completed in two schedules and will be shot in rural areas in Karnataka. Apart from Ravichandran, the film will also star late actor Tom Alter’s son Jamie Alter playing Kittel as well as Balaji Manohar.
Ravichandran is currently busy playing the lead role in Ravi Bopanna, besides directing the film and composing the tunes. Reports say that Ravichandran is playing a retired cybercrime cop in the film and will sport a new and different look. While Kavya Shetty will be starring opposite Ravichandran, Sanchita Padukone will be seen in a pivotal role along with Rachita Ram.
Sudeep will be making a cameo appearance in Ravi Bopanna, which is sure to up the expectation levels. Sources in the know say that he will be playing the role of an advocate. According to the film’s director, Sudeep agreed to do the cameo role without any hesitation. It will be a very important role and the actor allotted two days for the shooting. It may be noted here that Ravi Bopanna comes with the tagline ‘Drishya 2’. A major portion of the film is being shot in and around Coorg, we hear.
(Content provided by Digital Native)