Noted Kannada filmmaker M D Sridhar, renowned for his hits like Friends, Jolly Days, Krishna, Chellata, Porkhi, Bulbul, and Buguri, is set to make a return to the director's chair after a five-year hiatus. The acclaimed director, whose last venture was Odya, is teaming up with veteran producer Suresh for his upcoming film, Jumbo Circus. The film will feature Praveen Tej and Anjali Anish in lead roles.

At the teaser launch, MD Sridhar reminisced about his long and fruitful journey in Kannada cinema. He credited producer Suresh's unwavering faith, symbolised by a humble Rs. 10,000 advance during the 100-day celebrations of Krishna, as the catalyst for Jumbo Circus. Despite facing challenges, the duo's determination brought the project to fruition. Expressing concern over the current decline in Kannada film releases, Sridhar hoped for a resurgence that would draw audiences back to theaters.

Talking in particular about Jumbo Circus, and its essence, Sridhar revealed its narrative core—a love story between two youngsters from divergent family backgrounds. Despite familial discord, their childhood bond evolves into a romance, set against a backdrop richly captured by cinematographer Krishna Kumar.

Praveen Tej, who played a key role in Sridhar's Jolly Days, is happy to step into the spotlight under Sridhar's direction once again. The actor reminisced about attending Krishna's screening at Sagar Theatre while working with a channel. Anjali Aneesh, a lawyer turned actor, who made her debut with Padavi Poorva, is equally excited about Jumbo Circus.

The film has music composed by Vasuki Vaibhav, stunts by Ravi Varma and dialogues penned by Raghu Niduvalli. The film is produced by HC Suresh under the Sri Mahathi Combines banner with Suprith Shetty as co-producer. The cast of Jumbo Circus consists of seasoned actors like Avinash, Achyuth Kumar, Ravishanker Gowda, Swathi, Ashalatha, Lakshmi Siddaiah, Nayana Sharath, Jaggappa, and the late Mohan Juneja. The film is currently in post-production and is expected to hit theatres in September.

Meanwhile, director Sridhar, speaking to CE, also revealed that he will be teaming up with star Darshan and that he has a producer from Mangaluru, who will be bankrolling the project which is already in the works. "I am creating one or two storylines and will share it with Darshan at the appropriate time. Once the storyline is finalised, we will proceed with it further."