The Kannada actor-director thanked Vikram for inspiring actors like him and extended his best wishes to 'Thangalaan'.
Published Aug 07, 2024 | 5:11 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 07, 2024 | 7:49 PM
Rishab Shetty clicks a selfie with his idol Vikram. (X)
Kannada actor Rishab Shetty met Vikram in Bengaluru on 6 August, expressing immense joy at spending time with his “idol”. Sharing candid photos, Rishab Shetty revealed it had been a 24-year wait to meet Vikram, who has long inspired his acting journey.
Rishab Shetty also described 6 August as an unforgettable day in his life and called himself the luckiest man for meeting up with Vikram.
Vikram was in Bengaluru to promote his upcoming film Thangalaan, directed by Pa Ranjith. The makers organised a special screening for Kannada actor Yash in Bengaluru.
Ahead of Thangalaan’s release, the cast and crew are on a multi-city promotional tour, having already held events in Hyderabad and Chennai. The Bengaluru event will be followed by stops in Mumbai and Kochi.
On the work front, Rishab Shetty is filming the Kantara (2022) prequel, Kantara-A Legend Chapter 1, set for a December 2024 release. The period-action thriller is written and directed by the actor himself.
A still from ‘Kantara’ (Supplied.)
Kantara collected over ₹400 crore worldwide. Meanwhile, the prequel is being made with ₹125 crore.
The Kannada film is set in the reign of Kadambas of Banavasi. It casts Rishab Shetty as Kaadubettu Shiva. Kantara-fame B Ajaneesh Loknath is composing the music and background score for the prequel, too.
Arvind S Kashyap is the cinematographer. KM Prakash and Pratheek Shetty are the editors.
The first-look poster and teaser of Kantara-A Legend Chapter 1 were launched in November 2023 in seven languages. Vijay Kiragandur of Hombale Films is producing the flick. Amazon Prime Video grabbed its digital streaming rights.
Set in Karnataka’s Kolar Gold Fields (KGF), Thangalaan explores the area’s oppression, contrasting with the more surface-level depiction in Yash’s KGF franchise.
Ranjith, in an interview, observed that Indian mainstream cinema typically focuses on certain communities, while stories about the oppressed Dalit caste are relegated to small arthouse films.
He noted that producers fear they won’t find an audience or recover their investment with mainstream films about Dalits.
Ranjith time and again critiques the Indian caste system, highlighting that mainstream films focus on other castes while Dalits are either ignored or depicted stereotypically as dirty, dark-skinned, unclothed, comic relief, or villains.
“Rarely are Dalits shown as heroes; heroes are typically from upper or middle castes, and if a lower-caste hero appears, there’s often a plot point revealing higher-caste origins,” he was quoted, as saying, in another interview.
Thangalaan, starring Vikram, is a period film about displaced Tamils living on the margins of society. And, is all set to release in theatres, in multiple languages, including Hindi, on 15 August.
The film is set against the backdrop of early 19th-century mining and is based on a true story. It stars Vikram alongside Parvathy Thiruvothu, Malavika Mohanan, Pasupathy, Daniel Caltagirone, and Harikrishnan Anbudurai.
With music by GV Prakash Kumar, cinematography by A Kishor Kumar, and editing by Selva RK, the screenplay is co-written by Tamil Praba.
Thangalaan is produced by Gnanavel Raja’s Studio Green and Ranjith’s Neelam Productions.
The Fandom of #ChiyaanVikram is huge beyond boundaries 💥❤️#Thangalaan Team gets wowing response during Meet and Greet Event
📍Nexus Mall, Koramangala, Bengaluru.
Watch Here ▶️ https://t.co/YzAKKiFOWa
A @gvprakash Musical 🎶#ThangalaanFromAug15@Thangalaan @chiyaan… pic.twitter.com/NQi8JRCrIO
— Studio Green (@StudioGreen2) August 6, 2024
(Edited by Y Krishna Jyothi)
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