Producer Sandesh Nagaraj and his family have largely stayed behind the scenes in cinema. What began with producer Sandesh Nagaraj, who has produced some of the biggest Kannada films, was later carried forward by his son Sandesh N, while Vaishak J Gowda also stepped into filmmaking as a producer through collaborations with filmmaker Hemanth M Rao’s 666 Operation Dream Theatre.
Now, the family’s latest entrant is Sandesh Nagaraj’s daughter, Brinda N Jayaram, who is making her debut as producer with the socially driven Kannada children’s film Addiction, produced under her home banner SBV Productions.
Set for a June release, Addiction tackles the increasingly urgent issue of mobile phone addiction among children. Inspired by real-life incidents, Brinda believes its real audience extends far beyond children.
“Cinema has always been around our family, mostly through production,” Brinda says. “Indirectly, I have worked around my father’s productions, so I had awareness and some experience with filmmaking. But I wanted to prioritise family first. Now that my children are grown up, and my son too has entered production, I felt this was the right time.”
For Brinda, the film was never designed as a commercial calculation. Instead, she says, the subject itself pushed her into production.
“It was mainly the issue of mobile addiction that brought me into production,” she explains. “When I heard the story, I did not think about making money commercially. I wanted to contribute something meaningful to society. This is a universal subject and something relatable across the world.”
She reveals that discussions about entering production had already happened within the family, though timing ultimately led her to back the project independently.
“My son was busy producing a film with Hemanth M Rao, so I decided to take this project forward myself,” she says. What particularly connected with her was the film’s unusual positioning as a children’s film that, according to her, adults may need even more. “This is a pure children’s film. It has received a children’s certificate, but it is actually a film that elders should watch,” Brinda says. “It talks about phone addiction, how technology is necessary, and also at what age it becomes necessary.”
Directed by Ajay Kumar AJ, who has also written the story, screenplay, and dialogues, Addiction marks his second directorial venture. The film introduces Vidhu Sundarakrishna Aras in the lead role. Vidhu is the grandson of veteran actor Sundar Krishna Urs and son of Nagendra Aras, making him the third generation of the family to enter Kannada cinema.
Veteran actor Raghavendra Rajkumar appears in a special role alongside Siddhu Moolimani. The ensemble cast also includes Rishika, Baby Ankita Gowda, Master Aarush Gunakimath, Shyamsundar, Sundar Veena, Harish Rai, Sitara, Tanushree, Anupama Panchakshari, and Shailesh.
Another notable addition is Padma Shri awardee CR Chandrashekhar, former head of NIMHANS, who appears in a special role carrying a key social message.
Cinematography for the film is handled by Gundlupete Suresh, with music composed by Dinesh Kumar. The soundtrack features six songs written by Rayara Harish and Nelamane Raghavendra, with vocals by Vyasaraj Sosale, Mohammed Saab, Sneha, Anita Sara Mahesh and Adarsh, among others.
For Brinda, getting into production was never about chasing commercial success, but about contributing something meaningful to cinema and society through stories that matter.
“When I heard the story, I did not think about making money commercially. I wanted to contribute something meaningful to society. Moreover, today people consume more visual media than books, and cinema has the power to send the right message through a good subject,” Brinda says.
