Not all engineers stick to the script. Some, like Praveen Kumar G, choose to write a new one—one that belongs on the big screen. With a degree in engineering but a heart firmly rooted in cinema, Praveen is now ready to make his directorial debut with Amara Premi Arun, a romantic comedy set to release on April 25. “I always had clarity that engineering wasn’t my final destination. Cinema is my real passion—my ikigai,” he says. His love for performing began in college, where he was part of a Mad Ads team called Nothing But Trouble. “We did over 70 shows. I was the narrator of our team. That’s where I found my voice.”
The debutant director, born and raised in Ballari, has spent years behind the scenes learning the art of storytelling. “It took years of working on different aspects of filmmaking. Amara Premi Arun feels like a natural extension of everything I’ve done so far,” says Praveen, who has worked as an associate and assistant director on Koormavatara, Sakkare, Endendu Ninagagi, Kahi, Dana Kayonu, and Mugulu Nage and written dialogues for Alidu Ulidavaru and Ninna Sanihake, among other projects.
The film tells the story of Arun, a small-town medical representative who still lives in the memory of his childhood love. “I chose Ballari as the backdrop because I wanted to capture the spirit of a town I know inside out. The Ballari accent adds a flavour of authenticity, and I’ve kept the dialogues simple—with a blend of Kannada and English—so that audiences everywhere can relate," he says.
Starring Harisharva, Deepika Aradhya, Dharmanna Kadur, and Krithi Bhat, the film will be a clean romantic comedy filled with charm, humour, and nostalgia. With music by Kiran Ravindranath, cinematography by Praveen S, and editing by Manu Shedgar, the film may be made on a tight budget but is packed with emotional honesty," he says. The film is crowd-funded and backed by Olavu Cinema.
“Cinema is where all art forms meet. You can express every shade of life through it,” says Praveen, who has also published a short story collection titled Ede. "With Amara Premi Arun, I step into being a rooted and reflective storyteller," he concludes.