Debut director Chetan Kumar admits that bringing out a film like Bahaddhur took a lot out of him. After one-and-a-half years of shooting, the film is all set for release this Friday, and he says, “It was like making three movies.”
Chetan Kumar started off as a lyricist and then turned associate director for A P Arjun’s Addhuri, after which he became an independent feature film director for Bahaddhur.
Today, he’s glad that despite facing so many problems, the film has managed to sustain the buzz that it created in the industry. “At one point, I felt as though I was carrying a 100-kg baggage on my shoulder and climbing up a mountain. The film was stuck because the producers had backed out and we had to wait till RS Productions took over and helped us,” he recollects.
The fact that we had the hit jodi of Addhuri, Dhruv Sarja and Radhika Pandit, added great strength to the film. Addhuri, which was Dhruv’s debut, had also crossed a hundred days. Such things gave us confidence to stay focused,” explains the director.
Bahaddhur is releasing in 175 theatres all over Karnataka and Chetan is currently busy with the last minute work. He is relieved that the producers are already in the safe zone. “Distributor Prasad of Samrath Ventures bought the film at a very good rate,” says Chetan.
As a debut director, Chetan is not depending completely on the star cast and has faith in the story. “We have seen a lot of love stories, but Bahaddhur is different because I have tried a new type of narration. I dedicate Bahaddhur to all lovers and their parents, who will get a new perspective after watching the film,” he says.
Remake rights on cards
Talks of Bahaddhur being remade in other languages are doing the rounds. Telugu actor Ram of Ready fame and actor Bharath are keen on making the film in their respective languages. More will be revealed after the release. It is said that the dubbing rights in Hindi have already been sold.