Naveen Shankar hit the limelight with his debut, Gultoo, and in a surprising move, he decided to take time before choosing his next project.
“Incidentally, I accepted a project, for which I underwent a major transformation. Unfortunately, the film did not take off. Moreover, when your first film does well, there is a big responsibility in choosing the next. Since I wanted to do a content-strong film, which does not fit the regular pattern of characters and films, it did take some time,” says Naveen, who is gearing up for the release of his upcoming film, Dharani Mandala Madhyadolage.
Directed by Sridhar Shikaripura, and backed by Omkar, Dharani Mandala Madhyadolage is a crime drama.
“I am experimenting with genres with my upcoming films. While my next, Hondisi Bareyiri, is all about relationships, Nodidavaru Enanthare is a story told from a woman’s perspective. I also have KshetraPati, which is about the agrarian crisis. Apart from these films, which offered me unique characters, the icing on the cake is the Dhananjay-starrer Hoysala backed by KRG Studios. I prefer taking bridge films, which will serve a commercial purpose, and still has a strong point to say,” explains Naveen about his choice of films.
In Dharani Mandala, Naveen plays a boxer, and giving an insight into the role, he says, “My role is someone who wants to achieve in boxing and has a good sense of values. But an incident disturbs his profession and personal life. How he solves the problem is the crux of the role.”
Naveen shares that Dharani Mandala... has multiple characters in the leads, and says, “I am proud to say that every character is a protagonist.” Looking at Naveen’s filmography, we can see his proclivity of making films with newcomer directors.
“The hunger and honesty that comes with a debutant director is special. They have a strong dream for their first film to win. Being a newcomer, I know the challenges the director goes through. They want to cast an established actor but might not have the budget. I consider working with a new director as mutually beneficial,” says Naveen, adding, “Whether a director, actor or producer, we all have our own blocks, but I strongly believe that nobody can stop good work from happening,” he signs off.