Agni's transition from an IT professional to a filmmaker was a journey driven by passion, persistence, and a love for cinema. Once dabbling in YouTube, movie reviews, and short film experiments, Agni used his early digital presence as a foundation for his cinematic dreams. "I've always been passionate about storytelling," he says. "While working in the UK, I directed over 15 short films alongside my tech career. But everything changed when I entered a short film competition organised by Pawan Kumar." Agni is now excited to make his feature film debut with Rudhirvana.
"Some of my short films got me an internship on the film Dvitva. I left my job in Bournemouth and returned to India. Sadly, we lost Appu sir (Puneeth Rajkumar), and we couldn't move forward with the film, but by then, my heart was already set on filmmaking," Agni shares.
This commitment led Agni to work as an assistant director under Hemanth Rao on Sapta Sagaradaache Ello, and later with director KM Shashidhar on the Malayalam film Credit Score before embarking on his feature film journey.
Rudhirvana is a horror-survival thriller set deep in a forest. "This isn’t just about jump scares," Agni explains. "The film explores human greed and our urge to invade nature—represented through folklore demons and haunting violence."
He adds, "I developed three script ideas, but despite interest from production houses, none worked out. Eventually, I went the crowdfunding route and found support from like-minded cinema lovers. Even contributions as small as ₹1 made a difference."
He shares the concept poster, featuring a pregnant tribal woman surrounded by shadowy demon-like figures in a forest. "Who is she? Are they protecting or threatening her? Why the blood stains on their weapons? These characters and their motivations drive the film's story." The film stars Pavana Gowda as the lead, with Priya Shatamarshan of Bheema fame, Bala Rajwadi, and others.
For Agni, Rudhirvana will be a gripping, edge-of-the-seat experience. "As a filmmaker, I want to tell a story that feels fresh while respecting the audience's expectations. Filmmaking is always a compromise—you meet the audience halfway without losing your vision."
With Sachin Basrur scoring the music and Sandeep Valluri as the cinematographer, the set work is in progress, and the shoot will begin in the first week of May.