The muhurat function of Porki, a re-make of Telugu blockbuster Pokiri was held on Monday at Ganapathi Temple, Jayanagar. The regular shoot is expected to commence from April 23.
‘Challenging Star’ Darshan is playing the lead in the film. Darshan expressed happiness over acting as a porki (meaning goon in Kannada), and promised to do justice to the role. “I know that the Telugu film was a bigbudget film and a mega hit. I cautioned producer Dattatreya Bachegowda to think twice before taking up this film. As he is determined to make this film, I have also decided not to let him down. I will do my best to make this film a success,” said Darshan.
MD Sridhar, who has given many Kannada hits, is directing this film.
“Though it is a re-make, we are trying to make some changes. For instance, there was an intra-train sequence in Telugu and Tamil versions. Since there is no such provision (intratrain facility) in Bangalore, we are looking at other viable options,” said Sridhar.
Bachegowda debuts as a producer with this film. Earlier, he worked as a distributor for Telugu films and had provided finance for a few Kannada films. “I was the distributor for Pokiri for Guntur region. After its success, I wanted to make it in Kannada,” said Bachegowda.
Why did he select Darshan for the lead role? “We conducted a survey in 16 districts of the state, interacted with thousands of audience. Around 90 per cent of them selected Darshan as the hero,” explained Bachegowda.
No actress has yet been selected for Porki. “We are in talks with a few girls in Bangalore. We are yet to finalise the heroine. If we fail to get a suitable girl, we will try our luck in Mumbai,” said the director. “I advised the producer not to cast any of the actors who acted in the earlier versions. I want him to take artistes only from Sandalwood. I want to make this a completely Kannada film,” Darshan said.