G Srinivas, the director and lead actor of Old Monk, has brought on board a host of senior artistes as part of the cast. He has now signed up veteran actor Rajesh as well. The 88-year-old artiste, who was a part of the golden era of Sandalwood, having worked with stars such as Rajkumar, Kalyan Kumar and Udaykumar, will be seen on the silver screen after almost a decade.
Srinivas feels lucky to direct an accomplished actor like Rajesh, and says his charm remains intact at this age too. “We were not sure if he wanted to get back to acting. However, we went ahead and approached him as he fit the bill.
Thankfully, he gave a nod after he learned about his characterisation. He also mentioned that he is getting back to acting after a hiatus, and is excited about his role and about facing the camera after such a long time,” says Srinivas, who plans to start shooting Rajesh’s portions from Jan. 15.
The team is left with five days of talkie portions and a song to shoot, which they plan to wrap by January.
The film features Aditi Prabhudeva in the female lead role, while Malayalam actor Sudev Nair, who is making his Kannada film debut, will be seen as an antagonist.
The cast of Old Monk also comprises Aruna Balaraj, and senior actors like S Narayan, Sihi Kahi Chandru, RT Rama, Dingri Nagaraj and Bengaluru Nagesh. The film, coming from the director of Topiwala, Srinivasa Kalyana, and Birbal Trilogy: Case No 1, is a romantic drama based on a mythological character called Bal Brahmachari. It will narrate the love story of a bachelor and a gossip-monger. Saurabh Vaibhav and Bharath Parashuram are handling the music and cinematography, respectively.