Naresh Kumar started off on a good note with his debut 1st Rank Raju that was well received by the audience. Now the director is making a mark in Tollywood with the remake of his film, "It is always a proud moment when a Kannada film is being made in another language and more so when the same director is being considered to direct a Telugu remake," says Naresh.
He follows it with Raju Kannada Medium that will almost bring back the team of 1st Rank Raju including actor Gurunandan, music director Kiran Ravindranath and cinematographer Shekar Chandra. Coming on board was producer K Suresh and heroines, Avantika Shetty and Ashika Ranganath.
While Naresh based 1st Rank Raju on education, Raju Kannada Medium talks about the transition from village to city. "It's about life and how to face it. Raju, is the character I have carried forward from my first film. He is a poet in this rom-com and he is a big proponent of Kannada language and of Karnataka. His struggle to adapt to cosmopolitan Bengaluru and its people, is what I will show in Raju Kannada Medium," explains Naresh.
Naresh, whose strength lies in story dialogues has particularly stressed upon nature and greenery. "I prefer to bring out content based films and something, other people of other languages appreciate of. Due to the movie I explored some unknown locations of Karnataka, especially the Malnad regions. This I feel gives a fresh look to the movie," he says.
Bringing the star value to Raju Kannada Medium is Sudeep. "This character existed at the scripting stage, which required a star, but we took time to choose the actor and it was decided when we were ready with the first copy of the film. After much thought, we approached Sudeep.
As an actor, he chose to be part of the film, only after he felt that he fit the bill," says Naresh, adding, "He plays a big business magnate who becomes an inspiration and a role model." About Gurunandan, he says, "I have known the actor since the time I started as an assistant director and I could gauge on the kind of stories and his limitations. Accordingly, only he could justify Raju's character in our film," he says.
Naresh signs off saying "Everyone who loves Kannada and Karnataka will like Raju Kannada Medium and this can even be an audience that speaks various languages. "It is an overall entertainer, for all everyone and anyone."