With his film Kempirve, Venkat Bharadwaj gained rapid notoriety and was awarded the Karnataka State Film Award for best screenplay. Even though Venkat has won numerous awards, he asserts that “making a film is easy, but marketing it is an exhausting process.” We don’t receive enough assistance throughout the various phases of a movie’s marketing, and I oppose paid advertising.
“Today virtual platforms and troll pages seem to be the accepted trends to promote a film, which I do not believe in. I feel the film should talk about the director and his works. So if a low-profile person such as myself makes a film, then yes, marketing and promotions are a herculean task, irrespective of one’s past laurels,” says the director, whose Omelette had a direct OTT release during the pandemic.
The man, who believes in swimming against the current, is the son of the veteran film maker the late CV Shivashankar. Now, Venkat is all geared up to release his latest film, Naguvina Hoogale Mele, which will hit the screens on February 9.
“Naguvina Hoogale Mele is in the romantic-drama genre, inspired by a true life incident. I would say the film is not just an entertainer, but also has social messages. Set in a timeline of six years, it captures love which seems to be evergreen, but, are we even losing out on this with the current life situations?” explains the director, whose previous release was Sri Ranga, released in July 2022.
Produced by the renowned Bengal Tigers, Sri Satya Sai Arts, Naguvina Hoogale Mele is their first Kannada film production. With Abhidas and Sharanya Shetty in the lead roles, the director beams, “It is a pleasure to see a Telugu film banner coming forward to make a Kannada film.” Benaca Nanjappa, Balrajwadi, and Girish Bettappa are a few of the actors who help the couple on screen.
According to Venkat, the film’s unique selling point is that it is a clean entertainment without any gore, blood, or violence. Rather, the entire family can watch it, as the filmmaker claims, and it discusses love, emotions, and relationships. He continues, “The film was shot in and around the beaches, and nature plays a huge role in it.”
Venkat claims that the film’s unique selling point is that it is a clean entertainment piece free of gore, blood, and violence. Rather, the filmmaker claims that it is suitable for the whole family to watch and discusses love, emotions, and relationships. He continues by saying that since the movie was filmed on and near Kundapura’s beaches, nature is heavily featured.
“I did not want to put up a set and then shoot, so we sought and found natural locales such as Trasi beach and a few others, where the film was shot. The rest were shot in Hulikal Ghat, Mastigudi and Shivamogga. This way the entire Malnad region and its culture forms the backdrop of the film.”
“The story was triggered off by my conversation with a coconut vendor in front of a college in Ooty. One particular line he said became the premise for my film, which was adapted to the Karnataka region and the screenplay came into being,” says Venkat, who has two more films ready for release.
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