Veteran director SV Rajendra Singh Babu is planning to release Raktha Kashmira soon. He is also bringing Veera Kambala to theaters this February. The official date will be announced soon. Rooted in the soil and spirit of Tulunadu, this Kannada-Tulu bilingual film is inspired by Kambala, the indigenous buffalo race that has thrived for over 800 years. The sport is a defining symbol of coastal Karnataka’s farming culture, and has faced legal and social challenges over time. The film explores the history, cultural roots, and evolution of the sport over the years.
Rajendra Singh Babu reveals he spent nearly two years researching the sport and crafting the story and screenplay. Renowned Tulu theatre director Vijay Kodialbail collaborated on the screenplay and dialogues, ensuring accuracy and cultural depth. Actor Aditya, known for Deadly Soma, plays the lead while Prakash Raj and Ravishankar appear in key roles.
To recreate the scale of real Kambala events, the team built a large race track near Moodbidri in Dakshina Kannada. Each day of filming involved over 500 participants and about 20 pairs of buffaloes. For realism, Srinivasa Gowda, known for his record-breaking Kambala runs, performs racing sequences in the film, joined by Swaraj Shetty. Parts of the film were also shot in Dubai, expanding the visual scope of the story.
Produced by Dr Vinita Vijay Kumar Reddy and Arun Rai Todar under the Baba’s Blessing Films banner, Veera Kambala features Radhika Chethan in a special role, along with an ensemble cast of noted Tulu theatre actors including Naveen Padil, Gopinath Bhat, and Bhojaraj Vamanjoor. On the technical front, the film has music by Manikanth Kadri, cinematography by R Giri, editing by Srinivas S Babu, art direction by Chandrashekar Suvarna Mulki, and costumes by Kantha Prasadan and Bhasha.