Tarak Ponnappa, who wants to break the stereotype of playing alpha roles, is happy to be part of an ‘out of the box film’ like Gilky. “I am more than the police officer or villain characters I play. Films like Gilky help me prove my mettle” says the model-turned-actor ahead of the release this week. “I feel that today mostly filmmakers in Kannada are after commercial films. I want to fill that void with experimental projects and roles.”

According to Tarak, Gilky is a dark romantic comedy, that tells the story of three differently-abled people - Gilky, Nancy, and Shakespeare. “These three, who are ignored by society, create their own beautiful world. The relationship between Gilky and Nancy blossoms into romance. Will the society accept their bond or will it destroy their World forms the crux of the story,” he explains.

Ninety-five per cent of the film has been shot in Mangaluru, and the remaining in Bengaluru. “Though Gilky is made by debutant YK, he has travelled with me for almost eight years, since my debut in Ajaramara. We discussed a lot of stories and wanted to work on content-driven films.”

Gilky is backed by Narasimha Kulkarni. It has music by Adil Nadaf and cinematography by S Karthik.