Rakshit Shetty, who is currently engaged with mainstream cinema, is simultaneously exploring content for streaming platforms through his production house, Paramvah Studios. And the latest to come out from his basket will be a web series. The Kannada film industry is still trying to make a strong presence in the space, and Ekam will be one of the first attempts coming from the Rakshit Shetty’s banner. It will consist of eight episodes. The actor-director-producer is always keen to see new talents emerge and will sign up Sumanth Bhat, one of his writers from The Seven Odds, as well as other new directors for this project. An official announcement will be made in the next few days.
Meanwhile, Sumanth, who is excited about a new beginning, says Ekam will be set in the Karavalli belt of Karnataka. The casting call has also made it clear that the entire story will be based in the coastal region, and that it will explore the place, people, dialect, and food of this topography in different capacities.
Around 20 young crew members are coming together for this series, for which the team is presently on a recce to finalise the location. “On the whole, the web series will be different in terms of its treatment and genre,” says Sumanth. “Though the entire episode is rooted to the coastal region, for the content, we are looking for a story, which can connect pan India,” he adds, citing the example of Malgudi Days.
“The story of Malgudi Days was very regional, and all the characters were played by Kannada actors, but the crux of the story was liked by the entire Indian audience. We will attempt to push Ekam beyond language barriers,” says the writer-director.