With Assembly elections round the corner in Karnataka, politicians are truly stars. Little wonder then that two of them are actually starring in a film all set for release on 3 February!
Making their big screen debuts in the Kannada language film Tanuja are former chief minister BS Yediyurappa and Karnataka Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr K Sudhakar.
And as Tanuja is based on the real-life incident of a girl by the same name who fought against all odds to realise her dream of studying medicine, BSY and Sudhakar are not playing some fictional characters, but themselves.
Filmmaker Harish MD Halli, who came across an article on this farmer’s daughter who hailed from a remote village in Shivamogga, approached senior journalist and writer Vishveshwar Bhat to make it into a film. Not surprisingly, the film also features Bhat in an important role.
The film was shot at real locations for over 43 days in parts of Shivamogga and Bengaluru.
So, what is the story of Tanuja?
Well, back in 2020, when the entire country was going through a difficult and strict lockdown phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, young Tanuja made it to the NEET examination centre despite all odds to realise her dream of studying medicine and becoming a doctor.
Her struggle and determination had resulted in both Yediyurappa and Sudhakar getting involved in helping her.
And the story even caught the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who retold it to inspire school children from various platforms.
