Interesting Kannada releases this weekend!

Two Kannada films will compete against each other this weekend. Both movies are directed by newcomers.

Jambu Savari (elephant ride) is K C Venugopal’s second film as director.

Preeti Geeti Ityadi (colloquially means love and other things) is directed by debutant Veerendra who is Yogaraj Bhat’s protégé.

A look at what the movies have to offer

Jambu Savari

Dir: K C Venugopal

Cast: Prajwal Devaraj, Nikki Galrani, Chaitra Rai, Mitra, Achyuth, Shobhraj

Jambu Savari is a remake of the Telugu hit Swami Ra Ra. Director Venugopal says he has retained the structure of the original story but has tweaked the screenplay to suit the tastes of Kannada audiences.

“The story is the same as the original as it starts with an idol of Lord Ganesha being stolen from the Ananthapadmanabha Swamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram. The idol reaches Bangalore and falls into the hands of a wayward gang of three pick-pockets,” says Venugopal.

The film is about how the three petty thieves make merry pinching pockets before they land in trouble with the stolen idol of Lord Ganesha.

The thieves strike it rich, but do they continue in their chosen path of pinching people’s pockets?

Nikki Galrani, who has dubbed for herself for the first time with this film, plays Prajwal Devaraj’s love interest in the movie.

Says she, “I play an overgrown kid and an innocent girl who doesn’t know of her boyfriend’s occupation as a petty thief. She is made to believe that the guy is a techie.”

Chaitra Rai, a popular television actress, who has worked in Kannada television soaps, makes her debut on the big screen with this film.

“I play a pick pocket who has ingenious ways of pinching people’s pockets with two others in a funny way,” she says.

The film has been shot mostly in Bangalore and partly in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Pratap is the cinematographer and Prem Kumar has scored the music.

Chandru S L has penned the dialogues and lyrics. Hariprasad Rao is the producer.

Director: Veerendra

Cast: Pavan Wadeyar, Sangeetha Bhat, Vinaya Prasad, Rangayana Raghu

This film deals with the relationship between four characters, all central to the narration.

Pavan, who plays the lead as a bar owner, provides the link between the characters, according to the director.

Says director Veerendra, “The bar owner makes mistakes but refuses to accept them. Later he suffers from a feeling of guilt. He also tries to protect himself from the fallout of these mistakes. This is a story of sacrifice, confessions and love.”

Sangeetha Bhat, who was part of a Kannada daily soap, debuts in this movie as the female lead.

Her role is the fulcrum of the film, according to Veerendra.

Says Sangeetha, “I play a creative designer who is both traditional and modern in her thinking. The story revolves around me as I get to play two shades in the film - as a girl who can not only drink but also take responsibility for her family and her folks at home. Audiences can expect a good ending that doesn’t speak of any morals.”

The film has been shot in Bangalore, Mysore, Belgaum, Goa and Thirthahalli.

Bhaskar is the cinematographer and Veer Samarth has scored the music.

The film is based on a story written by Yogaraj Bhat who has also penned the lyrics for three songs.

Veerendra, who has worked as assistant direction under Yogaraj Bhat, Suri and Pavan Kumar, has written the dialogues and screenplay besides directing the film.