‘Sapta Sagaradaache Ello’ is a force of its own, no need for pan-India release: Rakshit Shetty

Bengaluru: ”For some films, we don’t have to do anything. It will travel on its own, we just have to go along,” says actor-director Rakshit Shetty, one of the leading voices of Karnataka’s ”new wave” cinema movement.

His new film ”Sapta Sagaradaache Ello”, which means beyond seven seas in Kannada and is taken from a famous Kannada poem, is that kind of film, Shetty told PTI at the trailer launch of the movie here on Thursday.

Giving the example of friend Rishabh Shetty’s widely popular ”Kantara”, the actor said the film came out of nowhere and took the nation by storm. ”Risabh (Shetty) didn’t take it (outside Karnataka), Risabh went along with it,” he said.

The actor, who is also the producer of ”Sapta Sagaradaache Ello”, said the team is not planning for a pan-India release. “But I believe in the film, so let us see where it lands,” he added.

Shetty also said he started Paramvah Studios to give a platform for films like ”Sapta Sagaradaache Ello”. “I decided while making ‘Ulidavaru Kandanthe’, that I have to create a platform not only for me but for all filmmakers to make films without any compromises,” he said.

”Sapta Sagaradaache Ello” is directed by Hemant M Rao. Incidentally, Shetty had co-starred with Anant Nag in the debut film of the director, ”Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu”.

Shetty, who wants to focus more on film direction than acting in future, said if Rao decides to make another film, he will choose to act in it with his eyes closed.

”I have been a huge fan of filmmaker Hemant Rao and I wanted to see what he was going to do with ‘Sapta Sagaradaache Ello’. When we were shooting, I got to know that he was basically shooting poetry. Today, when I watched the film, I thought what he has done is just truly amazing,” he said.

In ”Sapta Sagaradaache Ello”, Shetty’s character Manu and his co-star Rukmini Vasanth’s character Priya’s chemistry has been popular among fans since the team released teaser and songs.

Speaking of his co-star Vasanth, Shetty said after 10 years he has found an actor who supported him well while acting.

“It was her second film, but the kind of effort that she had put in was amazing, She had so many questions… the more she became Priya, the more I could be Manu. In theory, I know that acting is but reacting to your co-star and that a lot could be communicated with our eyes. But in this film, I experienced it,” said Shetty.

The trailer further opened up Manu’s and Priya’s world, suggesting a storyline that is as turbulent as the sea, in which only their love for each other is firmly anchored.

”You can actually get inside the director’s mind by watching the trailer. You will understand the aspect of poetry that he is going to tell in the film. I believe that it has come out very beautifully,” Shetty said.

The film, according to its director, grew so much within him during the Covid break that it had to be shot as two films. ”Side A”, which traces the lives of Priya and Manu, will be released on September 1. ”Side B”, which is set 10 years later and stars Chaithra J Achar as the female lead, will be released on October 20.

”The poetry that begins in ‘Side A’ continues in ‘Side B’ too, but with small twists, as Manu has changed in 10 years. I connected very much with ‘Side A’ — because of Priya, becoming Manu was easy. But as an actor, ‘Side B’s’ Manu was a bit challenging to explore,” added Shetty.

The films will also see seasoned actors Achyuth Kumar and Avinash play key roles. Music is by Charan Raj and cinematography by Advaitha Gurumurthy.

Shetty earlier took to Twitter to invite his fans for the trailer launch, which was being held in one of the oldest theatres in Bengaluru, the erstwhile Symphony cinema in MG Road, which was later renamed as Shankar Nag Chitra Mandira.