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He is popularly known as Daali Dhananjaya after his character Daali in the 2018 film Tagaru. Dhananjaya, who entered the Kannada film industry a decade ago without any godfather, is now one of the top heroes of Sandalwood. He is also producing and presenting newcomers’ films to give a platform to new talents, which he is very proud of. (Also read: HT Interview | Vijay Sethupathi: ‘Producers didn’t promote my latest film properly despite my repeated requests’,
The Pushpa actor’s new film Koti with director Param is set to release on June 14 and in this exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, the talented actor spoke about Kannada cinema, working in Allu Arjun’s blockbuster and more.
What is your new film ‘Kote’ (Crore) about?
It is a drama thriller and a family entertainer. It is a film that the common man and every middle class person can relate to. It is like Rathnan Prapancha and Badawa Rascal. I like gangster films but in between I also like to do common man films where people can relate to the characters, the situations of the film. When director Param narrated the script of Koti, I liked it. At one point of time it was my dream to make a film 1 crore. We all think – what if someone gives it to me One crore or what if I find one crore while walking on the road?
I remember my friend told me that he will go to Dubai and earn money Come with Rs 1 crore, build a house, give security to your family and he did it. When I heard the story, I was completely connected. I felt it would engage a large audience and the script is also very good. I didn’t know Param could write so well for a film. He is from the TV industry but what he has written as a film and what he has achieved as a director is great. Koti is a cab driver who wants to earn money in a very ethical way and this is his story.
Interestingly, you presented Daredevil Mustafa in 2023 which was a superhit.
I work as an actor but I also have my own production house where I want to make films for new directors and new talent. I have produced three films (Badwa Rascal, Head Bush, Thagaru Palya) and presented two films (Daredevil Mustafa, Orchestra Mysore) – these have new talent and new directors. With regard to Daredevil Mustafa, I am a big fan of KP Poornachandra Tejaswi (writer). I also knew Shashank Soghal (director) as he was my junior in college. I have seen the entire film taking shape and I loved the film. I presented it because I wanted the film to reach a wider audience. If a film works, I am the happiest person because I want every film in our industry to work. I want to see people in theatres; I don’t want the culture of theatre to die out.
How much has the film industry evolved in Kannada cinema in a decade?
We have grown a lot, but right now we are going through a bad phase like every other film industry. There is new talent coming up here, which is a good thing. For example, if you take me – I am not from a film background, but here I have made my mark as an actor and producer. There is definitely opportunity and space for newcomers in the Kannada industry. But as an industry, I feel we need more talent. Some people say that the stars of the industry should do more number of films to keep the theatres and the industry moving forward. But I feel it is their personal choice. So I feel we need a talent hub, so that when a star film is not releasing, good films with new talent are released. It is very important for an ecosystem to run and it cannot depend on only four or five stars. Every week I get to see two or three films because people want me to present them, but I cannot present all the films. And when I watch these films, I see a lot of hope for the industry – their craft, their vision, the stories they want to tell. We will do well in the future.
There are many successful pan-India films (KGF, Kantara, Vikrant Rona) and talents (Pawan Kumar, Prashanth Neel) emerging from your industry. Do you want to work on such projects?
I want to be a part of good films – I don’t know if they will be successful on a pan-India level. It is a very different game. I will be very happy if all industries watch my films. I will try to do good films and if it reaches all over India, I will be very happy.
You are a part of Pushpa, one of the biggest pan-India films!
I always wanted to work with director Sukumar, so it was like a dream come true for me. It was a very interesting process. Working with Sukumar was great because there was a lot to learn. And as a pan-India film, I loved it and especially when people called me Jaali Reddy in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. It brought me to a larger audience and that definitely helped me.
What is one highlight of Pushpa for you?
It is Sukumar’s writing and Allu Arjun’s commitment. It is very difficult for an actor to stick to the same character for years and Allu Arjun is doing it. His commitment to the character, Pushpa, the commitment of the whole team and Sukumar’s writing, is really good. It is very inspiring!
Don’t you want to work in other languages too?
I have done a Telugu film called Zebra which is the next release. Recently, I got an offer from Karthik Subbaraj for Surya sir’s new Tamil film. But he wanted a different look which I couldn’t do as I have other Kannada films lined up here. The shooting would have happened simultaneously. I couldn’t change the look and also adjust the dates so I couldn’t do that role. I really wanted to do that film. If I get good roles from good teams, I will definitely do it. I want to work with every good director. As an actor, it is good for me as it is a learning process.
What’s a genre you’d like to do and haven’t yet?
Historical (period drama) films! This has been my dream since childhood. There are two projects. One film is Halagali, made by director Sukesh Nayak. It is about the rebellion of Bedaru (hunters) in Karnataka during the Indian freedom struggle. It is a very interesting story. The other subject we are working on is about Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda, the founder of Bengaluru. If everything goes well, they will start soon.
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