Just when the industry had forgetten a film like Kontract has been in the making, the director and producer SS Sameer have come forward to revive the project. The film’s shoot is currently on in Kolhapur and this time, the director has an interesting starcast to show.
The film which already had Arjun Sarja playing the lead and JD Chakravarthy as the antagonist has managed to rope in Radhika Kumaraswamy for the female lead. According to the director, she has replaced Minisha Lamba in the film and a few of the portions that was earlier shot with Lamba will need to be reshot.
“Kontract gets a bigger opening with businessman Sanjay Ghodawat presenting it,” says Sameer. “Since this film is now being made in three langauges -- Kannada, Tamil and Telugu -- we wanted somebody who is popular in all regions and zeroed in on Radhika. Luckily, she liked the script and is now on the sets of our film. I am certain that this will be one her best roles.” the director tells City Express.
The movie will also be a treat for auto-enthusiasts with its fleet of foreign cars, including four Rolls Royces, ten BMWs and four Bentleys. “This alone cost me more than `1 crore,” says the producer-director who has assisted Ram Gopal Varma in many of his films.
The shooting in Kolhapur will go on for the next ten days, where most of the portions will be shot. "The movie will be titled Kontract in Kannada and Telugu and Iruvar Oppanthami in Tamil," he says. The film has music by Subhas Anand and cinematography by Johhny Lal.
Glad to be back on set: Radhika Kumaraswamy
Radhika Kumaraswawy, who enjoys every moment in front of the camera, is happy to be back on a film set. The actress was last seen in Rudra Tandava released in 2015. Speaking to City Express, Radhika says, “Business commitments had kept me away from films for almost a year. I have been working on a film, to be made under my banner, but it is taking time. Meanwhile, this role came my way and I found it very intersting.”
Ask her about the rumours that she has quit the industry, which has been doing the rounds for some time now, and she replies, “Just because I haven’t been seen for long, it does not mean that I have quit the industry. All it says is that I was waiting for good subjects and interesting characters, and such film that came through is Kontract.”
The actress says that this is the first time she is delivering dialogues in three languages, and that it has been easy because of her fluency in Kannada, Tamil and Telugu. “I was moved when people on the sets began to applaud after Arjun and I shot an emotional scene... this is what keeps me going,” she says.
Radhika will soon be announcing her other projects. “Looks like the audience likes surprises so I will keep my plans that way,” she says.
Faisal KhanMarks his Debut in south Indian cinema
Sameer has managed to bring Aamir Khan’s brother Faisal Khan to the south Indian film industry, through Kontract. “He is a good friend of mine and he is doing this role for me. This is the only film he has taken after Mela. He has a pivotal role in our film,” says Sameer. Faisal had joined the sets on Monday and will be shooting for the next couple of days.