Prajwal Devaraj and Raj B Shetty-starrer Karavali was released last month and has completed 25 days in theatres. While Gurudatha Ganiga directed the film, the story came from Bandiyappa. At a time when filmmakers increasingly prefer to direct their own stories, Bandiyappa chose to hand over Karavali to Ganiga because he felt he was the right person to bring it to the screen.
The two filmmakers go back to their days in director S Narayan’s team. Bandiyappa worked as an associate director on Shailu and Munjane, while Ganiga was part of the direction team.
“After I became an independent director, I went to Mangaluru to shoot a song for Rathaavara. I saw several locations there and Kambala caught my attention,” Bandiyappa recalls.
Coming from the plains, he says he knew little about Kambala at the time. His research introduced him to its nearly thousand-year history.
“We have hundreds of stories around us that we don't know about. Kambala is a matter of pride for Karnataka. I researched it extensively and wrote a story around it. I narrated it to my team, which included Gurudatha Ganiga, and everyone liked it.”
Bandiyappa had earlier announced Vairamudi, based on the same story and starring Shiva Rajkumar. A poster was also released, but the project did not move forward. By then, Rishab Shetty’s Kantara had brought Kambala to a much wider audience.
“I had wanted to show Kambala on screen first. After Kantara, I let go of that thought. But Gurudatha Ganiga kept telling me, ‘Give me the story. I will make the film.’ He has seen Kambala closely, and it is even organised at his family’s place. I felt he could make it better than I could, so I gave him the story.”
Bandiyappa also gave Ganiga the freedom to make changes to the screenplay.
“He retained the essence of my original story but made some changes. I am happy with how he shaped it. What makes me particularly proud is that Gurudatha Ganiga came into the industry as an assistant director and has now directed and produced a film of this scale.”
Now, Bandiyappa is looking towards two projects. He has been researching Bengaluru Karaga for several years and already has a bound script. He is also expected to direct a film for producer HA Rahman, who has backed Kannada films such as Yajamana and Huchcha.
“I have always wanted to make a film on Bengaluru Karaga for a long time. I have researched the subject for several years and already have a bound script. It will need a good budget, but I believe it can become a good film. There are hundreds of stories around us that have not been told. I want to bring those stories to the screen,” he says.
Bandiyappa made his directorial debut with Srujan Lokesh-starrer Aane Pataki. He later directed Sriimurali-starrer Rathaavara and Vaibhav-starrer Tarakasura. He also directed the Hindi film Red Collar, starring Kishore, which is yet to release.
With Chowkidar releasing earlier this year and Karavali following it, Bandiyappa is now looking beyond his recent films, with a film for HA Rahman in the pipeline and his long-researched Bengaluru Karaga story waiting for the right opportunity.