A film by Sunil Kumar Desai is bound to have high expectations, especially going by the director’s track records, with films like Tarka, Uthkarsha, Sangarsha, Niskkarsha, Beledingala Bale, Nammoora Mandara Hoove and Sparsha. Udhgarsha will be the director’s next outing, a film that will be released this week in four south Indian languages. “Reaching out to as many regions as possible was something I had thought of 20 years, ago. However, only technology has fulfilled that wish of mine,” says Sunil, adding that many of his suspense-action genre films like Tarka, Nishkarsha, which released in Kannada, were later dubbed or remade in other languages too.
“There were times we had to print the film in as many theatres we were releasing. I started off in the film industry, when we didn’t have mobile communication. Today, we have come at a point where we can release films in 10,000 theatres. Technology has only allowed us to showcase our product across the globe at the same time. But this has come with increased production costs,” he says.
The director is aware of the high expectations he has set, when he mentions that audience can expect a ‘neat film’ from him. He admits that he did falter with his two previous films Ramya Chaitrakaala and Re, which did not live up to their expectations. However, he is confident that Udhgarsha will not disappoint the audience. “This is for those who particularly enjoy watching the edge-of-the-seat kind of cinema,” he says.
For the film, the story of which takes place in a span of 48 hours, Sunil has brought in fresh faces, including villain-turned-hero Thakur Anoop Singh, Sai Dhanshika, Tanya Hope, Kishore, Kabir Duhan Singh, Vamsi Krishna and Shraddha Das.
“I wanted to go with a different look and feel for this suspense-thriller. Secondly, I felt that if a known artiste is featured, audience will come to theatres with a certain mindset about their performances. Which is why I decided to go with a menu that comes with different flavours. And when people walk into theaters without much expectation, they find something new in these characters,” says Sunil, who has cast tall heroes and heroines. “Physical appearance makes an impact in Udhgarsha, and is important for the look and feel of the film. The actors part of the cast are from Karnataka, Kerala, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Tamil Nadu,” explains the director.
Udhgarsha marks the debut of producer R Devaraj, who credits Sunil for the opportunity. “My turning producer was only because of Sunil Kumar Desai. I’ve always been a fan of the director’s works and am glad to work with the team,” says Devaraj.