It’s my best ‘Dasara’ and it arrived quite early: Actor Dheekshith Shetty

The actor reveals how he landed the role of Suri in ‘Dasara’, his preparations, his equation with Nani and a lot more.

ByY Sunita

Published May 08, 2023 | 11:33 AMUpdatedAug 10, 2023 | 4:37 PM

Dheekshith Shetty Dasara

It wasn’t an easy break for Kannada actor Dheekshith Shetty. The theatre actor waited for a long time after his Kannada film Dia (2020) which was dubbed in Telugu became a hit during the pandemic.

Dheekshith also played a meaty role in the Telugu web series Meet Cute (2022) directed by Deepthi Ghanta, actor Nani’s sister. Nani liked Dheekshith’s work in the web series and roped him in as a parallel hero in Dasara which went on to become a blockbuster.

“They wanted me to grow hair and a beard to play Suri. But at that time, I was playing four different shades —16 to 30-year-old — in the 2021-released Kannada film KTM (Karthik, Tanya, Merci). I showed the KTM pictures to the Dasara team and they were happy with the look,” Dheekshith Shetty recalled his selection process.

The actor also gave an audition in the Telangana dialect. “Dasara co-director Vinay, who also worked for Meet Cute, was sure that I would pull off the role and strongly recommended me.”

Dasara shooting and sets

working still from Dasara

A working still from ‘Dasara’. (Supplied)

The film was shot for 48 days against the backdrop of Singareni Collieries.

“The cast and crew used to fall sick during the shoot. They used Ambar powder (coal powder) and poured it on us during the ‘Dhoom Dhaam Dhosthaan’ song. It was summer and quite challenging. I used one-and-a-half hours to get ready and two-and-a-half hours to take the colour off,” he smiled.

The Dasara team created a sprawling village set in 22 acres of land located about 30 kilometres from Hyderabad. They also erected roads, railway tracks, and houses for upper-caste and lower-caste people.

Also Read: From urban love stories to village conflicts, Sukumar’s protégés follow his lead

“We shot the introduction scene in Madhya Pradesh because it had the longest railway track. A few days after packing up, I wouldn’t be allowed into the hotel because I was beyond recognition,” the 27-year-old added.

On Telangana dialect and Nani

dheekshith shetty with nani

Dheekshith Shetty with Nani during ‘Dasara’ promotions. (Instagram)

If the look was difficult, the dialect was the next challenge. Dheekshith Shetty had done a Tamil anthology for which he memorised the entire script.

He also did a couple of films in Telugu before this, but Dasara’s dialect was new to him. “I had little hold on Hyderabadi Telugu but this dubbing was quite challenging for me. I had done five versions of dubbing before it got finalised,” the actor recollected.

About his rapport with Nani, he said he liked Nani’s work even before meeting him. “I asked him a lot of questions. We started with a song shoot first. The rehearsals helped. He broke the ice and made me comfortable.”

About his role in Dasara

Dheekshith Shetty suri dasara

Dheekshith Shetty as Suri in ‘Dasara’. (Supplied)

About him playing a drunkard in Dasara, the Kannada actor revealed that he went prepared. Director Srikanth Odela stated that there would be no proper reason why people in the village would get drunk. He was particular about how Suri should look and act.

Dheekshith Shetty played a drunkard in KTM, too. So, he went prepared. He said he sat in a local bar for four-five days and observed how people behave.

“There is a sand mafia in my hometown and I have seen how things happen. People wake up in the morning and consume alcohol. I have seen this as a child. Though I have never seen people in the coalfield, the director’s input helped me since he hails from Singareni. Our experiences made my work easier,” he explained.

Related: Director Srikanth Odela on his latest film Dasara

Quality over quantity

Kannada actor Dheekshith Shetty

Kannada actor Dheekshith Shetty. (Instagram)

Asked if he ever felt his role would be marginalised, Dheekshith Shetty felt overawed.

“When I went to the Dasara sets, I thought that getting an opportunity like this was great in itself. It is not the duration that matters, but the impact you make is far more significant,” he asserted.

Suri’s character In Dasara was pretty important and hence the team was hunting for the right person.

“Nani always said if the audience connects to you, they will connect to the film. A youngster like me would rarely share the screen with a star and have an impactful role,” he noted.

Comparison with Pushpa

About the comparisons with Allu Arjun’s Pushpa (2021), Dheekshith said Dasara’s story was completely different.

Keerthy Suresh and Dheekshith Shetty in Dasara

Keerthy Suresh and Dheekshith Shetty on the sets of ‘Dasara’. (Supplied)

“Take away the coal background, you will find an emotionally-driven film. It has a love story, too. Also, people who initially thought it was only violence were in for a surprise. This is my best Dasara, and it arrived very early this year.”

Dheekshith Shetty revealed that even after shooting for five-ten days, he would still wonder if he was a part of Dasara.

Also Read: Mollywood drug problem: Police to monitor Kochi shoots

“From the beginning, they wanted to make it big. While sharing the screen with Nani and Keerti Suresh, I always thought I should give my best and not think about the result and how people would receive me. That was the only thing running through my head.”

Life post-Dasara

And guess what? Things did change for the actor post-Dasara. “Long back, I was attending three-four auditions daily and would go by bus. But now, people come to my office and I listen to 3-4 narrations from dawn to dusk. From there to here, the journey is super good,” he smiled.

Dheekshith doesn’t want to do the same genres again, at least for the next three years. He wants to do challenging roles.