Mohan Kuthar
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Aug 31: The shooting of the Kannada-Telugu bilingual action comedy film ‘Halka Don’, being shot with Mangaluru as its backdrop, has almost been completed. The film is produced by K P Srikanth, known for the film ‘Salaga’, and directed by Venkatachala (Chalam).
Against this backdrop, the film team visited the Kuthar Dekkadu Koragajja Adisthala on Monday, offered special prayers and sought blessings. Later, a press conference was held at the same venue, where details about the film were shared.
Pramod Panju and Amrutha Iyengar play the lead roles in the film. Tulu and Kannada film industry artistes Rupesh Shetty and Aravind Bolar, along with Sai Kumar, Jyothi Poorvaj and Ramesh Indira, will be seen in prominent supporting roles.
The film has cinematography by Sathya Hegde, editing by Arjun Kittu and music by V Harikrishna.
Lead actor Pramod Panju said he was happy to have got an opportunity to act in a film based on a story set in Mangaluru. He said working with experienced artistes Aravind Bolar and Rupesh Shetty had been a good experience.
He said that since most of the film was shot in Mangaluru, the team had decided to produce the film in Tulu as well, with the intention of reaching the local audience in their own language.
Actor Rupesh Shetty said that although he had acted in Tulu and Kannada films earlier, he had always wanted to work with a good banner, and he was happy to have received that opportunity through ‘Halka Don’.
“I agreed to act in the film as soon as producer K P Srikanth narrated the story. I laughed a lot during my very first meeting with director Chalam. The title ‘Halka Don’ itself creates curiosity. The story of a don from Mangaluru has been presented in a different and humorous manner. We are also thinking of promoting the film in a different way,” he said.
Director Venkatachala (Chalam) said ‘Halka Don’ tells the story of an attractive but innocent man who unexpectedly becomes the face of a powerful gang. The protagonist then gets caught in a rivalry in the local underworld, and the film depicts, through humour and action, how he tackles the challenges with his intelligence, unexpected alliances and the support of Amrutha’s character.
“This is my first film as a director. I am grateful to the producer and the entire film team for giving me the opportunity to work under such a big banner,” Chalam said.
Producer K P Srikanth said that the initial intention was to make the film in Kannada and Telugu. However, since most of the shooting took place in Mangaluru, the team felt that the film should also be made in Tulu, the language of the local people, and decided to bring it to the audience in Tulu as well.
“We visited the Kuthar Koragajja shrine, offered prayers and sought blessings. Our intention is to present the film, which was shot in Mangaluru, in Tulu, the language of the local people. We believe that if the film succeeds in Mangaluru, it is as good as succeeding across Karnataka. The audience in Dakshina Kannada district has the ability to recognise good films. We hope that the blessings of Parashurama will always be with the film,” Srikanth said.
Actor Aravind Bolar said a good film was being produced in collaboration with K P Srikanth and Nagendra Prasad, and expressed happiness about working with the team.
Joking that he had not been given the heroine’s role, Bolar praised the lead actor, saying that the fact that the protagonist who had earlier acted in a popular Kannada television serial had now grown into a major actor was a testament to his hard work.
“The atmosphere on the sets is very good. I am happy to be working on a good film with a good team. There is no doubt that ‘Halka Don’ will be successful,” he said confidently.
Director and actor Sujay Shastry, manager Sudheer, director Chalam, producer K P Srikanth, Tulu Nadu Manikya Aravind Bolar, Sri Panjandaya Bant Vaidyanatha Adi Koragathaniya Seva Trust trustee Mahabala Hegde Deppelimaar, actor Rupesh Shetty and Gautham were present at the press conference.