Even though he made his debut with Raja Hamsa featuring a team of freshers, Jadeshaa K Hampi found recognition with Gentleman, the Prajwal Devaraj-starrer that explored sleeping disorders, a rare subject in mainstream Kannada cinema. He followed it up with the sports drama Guru Shishyaru, featuring Sharan, and now returns with Landlord, a survival drama that brings Vijay Kumar and Raj B Shetty together on screen for the first time. The film also stars Rachita Ram, and marks the debut of Vijay Kumar’s daughter Rithnya. The film is slated for a January 23 release.
The idea for Landlord, says Jadeshaa, had been brewing for years. “I had planned this subject around the time Guru Shishyaru was taking shape, but I couldn’t work on it then. Later, while working as a writer on Kaatera, the idea of survival stayed with me. In Guru Shishyaru, there is an underlying thought of ‘Uluvavane Odeya’, and that stayed with me. Between these films, I kept developing Landlord. It is about survival and power, but with emotional conflicts and slightly matured characters.”
Working with Vijay Kumar for the first time, Jadeshaa says shaping the antagonist was a key creative decision. “In Kaatera, the situation itself becomes the antagonist, so I couldn’t explore a negative character much. But here, I was very particular that the antagonist should be someone the audience already trusts, but in a darker shade. That contrast adds weight to the conflict. I wanted the hero to survive, not dominate.”
Convincing actors for such a narrative, he admits, is harder than pitching a conventional commercial film. “For regular films, you can talk about hero build-ups and mass moments. But for films like this, actors must believe in the writing. Vijay Kumar is also a director, so he immediately understood the space the story needed. He knows that giving space to other characters strengthens the film. The same was the case with Raj B Shetty. He saw the writing and the layers in the character.”
Working with experienced actors, however, brings its own pressures. “There is definitely more responsibility. They come with their own discipline and vision. But once you build rapport, the atmosphere becomes positive. Very early in the shoot, you get a sense of how the film is shaping up, and that confidence has to be carried till the last day.”
On casting Raj B Shetty in a face-off with Vijay Kumar, Jadeshaa says it was about offering something new. “There was never any doubt about his versatility. Though he played a negative role in Malayalam in Turbo, this is new for him in Kannada. But this is not a routine antagonist. His emotional depth suited the character, and once he understood the layers, he was fully convinced.”
Rachita Ram, too, was cast against type. “I wasn’t looking for a typical heroine role. I wanted someone who could convincingly play a mother. Not many female actors are comfortable with that. When I met Rachita, she was keen on breaking her pattern and doing something different.”
The film also features Bhavana, Rakesh Adiga, Shishir and Abhishek, many of whom have earlier played lead roles. “They were convinced by the story and the impact of their characters. Screen time may be limited, but the roles are memorable. Some of them also came because they trusted me as a writer and director,” he says.
A strong reader, Jadeshaa says literature shapes his cinematic world. “To be a writer, it is important to be a reader first. For Landlord, I referred to Malegalalli Madumagalu and Karanth’s Chomana Dudi. I don’t lift scenes, but the atmosphere helps in visualising characters. The story is set in the 1980s, and that backdrop helped structure the social conflicts and emotional tone.”
Produced by Sarathi Films’ Maasthi Upparahalli, the film has dialogues by MM Shrikantha, music by Ajaneesh Loknath and cinematography by Swamy J Gowda. While comparisons with Kaatera are inevitable due to the rural setting, Jadeshaa says the emotional core is different. “Any village-based film may give a similar atmosphere, like Janumada Jodi, Dorai or Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu. But what matters is what is different within those worlds,” he signs off.