Director Suni’s signature style has been humour, but he equally loves tackling serious subjects. “But whenever I have attempted those kinds of films, I have failed to reach the same level of success,” he admits, citing Bahuparaak among a few examples. “Audiences are accustomed to seeing a certain type of film from me, but I want to attract them with different genres, and Avatara Purusha is one such experiment,” says Suni.
Avatara Purusha Part 1: Astadigbandanamadalakam was a supernatural comedy thriller written and directed by Suni, starring Sharan and Ashika Ranganath in the lead roles. The film revolved around a grieving couple who lost their son at a temple festival, prompting a rift between family members. Their daughter enlists an actor to impersonate their son, leading to suspicion and the discovery of family secrets involving a powerful artefact and connections to the world of black magic. Conceived as a two-part series, the sequel, Avatara Purusha 2: Trishanku Payana, is set to release this week.
The makers released the trailer a couple of days ago, and it seems like the plot around black magic has only intensified in the sequel. Despite the slight gap in the release between the two parts, the director has intelligently worked on bringing a short recap of the first part into the sequel, providing the audience with a glimpse of what transpired previously, which aids in the understanding of the second part.
Produced by Pushkarah Mallikarjunaiah under his home banner, Pushkar Films, the film features music by Arjun Janya and cinematography by William David. Sai Kumar, Bhavya, Balaji Manohar, and Srinagar Kitty appear in the film in supporting roles.
“While Avatara Purusha was initially planned as a web series, it eventually turned out to be a film, and we worked on making it into two parts,” recalls Suni. Coming to the sequel to Avatara Purusha, “It creates a world of Trishanku, which involves black magic,” he elaborates. “But to me, this Trishanku is an upside-down world of life; he can be neither on earth nor in heaven. While I took reference from a book for Part 1, the sequel was part of my imagination,” he explains, while adding that a film on black magic and thrillers always pique the audience’s interest.
“Rather than a next-door boy-girl story, which is closer to reality, a thriller and such plots take you to a different world. Today, if you see, audiences have rejected routine stories, irrespective of whether they are good. So, when we offer something new, they get excited, provided they are convinced,” says Suni.
Talking about Sharan, Suni remarks, “His presence always tickles the audience’s funny bones, which was more prominent in Avatara Purusha. However, we can also see the serious side of the actor. He is someone known for infusing humour into his storytelling, and he prepares himself for any kind of character.
With Avatara Purusha, I’ve aimed to bring versatility to my script and explore the actor’s range. It’s always interesting to showcase the different shades of an actor, which challenges a director to explore their versatility and see what they can bring to the table,” says Suni, citing an example of another film planned for Shivarajkumar. “Shivanna is often associated with action roles, but I thought Manamohaka would bring out his romantic side. However, it is still in the pipeline,” he signs off.