At least 120 young boys and girls who are just out of college will make their debut in Yuvarathnaa. For these youngsters, it was more of a fan moment to be sharing screen space with Puneeth Rajkumar throughout the film.
The film, directed by Santhosh Ananddram and slated for release on April 1, is set against a college backdrop. One shade of the Power Star will see the actor playing the role of a student. The makers, who had to create a college atmosphere, decided to opt for fresh talent instead of going ahead with junior artistes.
The team auditioned around 2,000 young boys and girls, out of which over 120 of them were finalised. The group was then divided into ‘artistes’ who would play medical, engineering and degree students. These young faces have a theatre background or have some sort of association with short filmmakers and artistes. The selected newcomers were then put through a workshop to get them ready to face the camera.
The team, which shot the film in 140 days, had freshers participating in the shoot for at least 120 days. Their portions appear in at least eighty percent of the film. One of the most awaited films, Yuvarathnaa, brings together the hit combination of Puneeth, Santhosh and producer Vijay Kiragandur for the second time. The team is currently doing their promotional tour, travelling to different parts of Karnataka.
Puneeth received an overwhelming reception at each place. The film will also see a simultaneous release in Telugu. Meanwhile, the team will soon be heading to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to promote the film. The film marks the Kannada debut of Sayyeshaa. It also stars Dhananjay as the antagonist, along with Diganth, Sonu Gowda and Prakash Raj in prominent roles. While the film’s music is by Thaman, it has Venkatesh Anguraj handling the camerawork.