Keeping with the trend of films being titled after famous personalities like Annavaru Vishnuvardhana, Sangolli Rayanna, and Basavanna, comes another film titled Ambareesha. What’s interesting though is that director K Mahesh Sukhadhare has been inspired by star actor-turned-politician Amabareesh to do so. “Every time my associates and I sat to discuss the title we couldn’t reach a consensus. All other titles didn’t seem to do justice to the storyline. It was during one such session that I thought about all the legends of Kannada film industry. Today, after Rajkumar and Vishnuvardhan, it’s Ambreeshanna that people look up to,” says Mahesh.
While the title may have needed a lot of thought, casting for the lead role was a no-brainer for Mahesh. “Darshan was an obvious choice. One, he suits the story. Two, he has also established himself with family audiences with films like Sarathi and Kranti Veera Sangolli Rayanna and appealed to the masses with many action thriller movies. In that sense Darshan has set a benchmark in the industry. Also, Darshan and Ambareesh are good friends. And me hailing from Mandya district, I felt that only Darshan can pull off such a character,” he says.
Ambareesha will be launched on August 15. Mahesh’s earlier films include Sambrama, Siddhu, Sarvabowma and Malle Bille. “I have grown up under the guidance of good directors like H R Bhargava, Siddalingaiah, they were like an institution to me. I usually make movies once in three years and do a lot of research before starting my film. So was the case of this film too.”
Chintan will be writing the dialogues for Ambareesha, while V Harikrishna has been roped in as the music composer.
Directing a film where one star actor is all set to portray another living legend of the industry can be a nerve-wrecking task. Mahesh says, “After being an under-study to some well-known directors in my career, I feel that directors need to know how to handle an actor and how to do to justice to the script. When I direct a film, I balance star value with expectations of the target audience. That’s how I build the story.”
But a film based on Ambareesh will challenge the art of balancing story and market appeal. Mahesh understands the demand from him, as he says, “Ambareesh’s list of achievements is so long that it would take more than a film to cover them all. He is an institution by himself. Darshan will showcase one of his popularly-known traits for which people will have to wait,” he says.
Mahesh is now scouting for two actresses to cast in the film. Trade buzz points towards Tamil actress Amala Paul and Shweta Srivastav snagging the roles, but the director prefers to clarify. He says, “We have approached Amala Paul to play the lead but she is apprehensive about it since this is a two heroine-film. We are in talks with other actresses too. We are looking at new talent in Sandalwood too. We will announce the names once the casting process is over.”