Phones banned on sets of Darshan's Roberrt

When Tharun Sudhir brought Darshan on board for a cameo in his directorial debut, Chowka, little did he know that in his next, the 'Challenging Star' would play a full-fledged role. Interestingly, Darshan’s screen name in Chowka was Robert, which has now become the title of Tharun’s second film, Roberrt. “It’s not due to the character’s popularity,” the director clarifies, adding that the film was named so only because it suited the story.

With Darshan playing the hero, Tharun feels doubly responsibile to deliver a good film. “Chowka was released in February 2017, after which I took two years for my second, because I knew this was going to be bigger and better. And I needed time to prepare for it. I was not cautious exactly, but I was excited by the opportunity to helm a project for a superstar, and wanted to ensure I gave it my best. Darshan fit the character perfectly, which got me more enthusiastic,” he says. 

Conditions apply

As the project begins, the makers of Roberrt have already laid down certain conditions. The film’s formal launch ceremony will take place today, and the shooting will begin tomorrow, which happens to be Akshaya Tritiya. The director has strictly banned use of mobile phones on the sets, which have to be placed 50 meters away from the location. This rule applies to both artistes and technicians. “Without mobiles, we are sure that artistes will be able to focus better,” he says.  

Secondly, unnecessary pictures or videos will not be captured and leaked to the public. “A few MNCs companies have introduced this policy, hoping that data won’t be leaked. We also felt that we should include some corporate ethics,” says Tharun, adding that fans can still come and meet the star and watch the shooting process. “However, they will not be allowed to take photographs.”

The makers have also signed a non-disclosure agreement with the technicians on these matters. “This is to ensure that there is no leak of any kind during the shooting,” he explains.

This emotional-action drama produced by S Umapathy has two dialogue writers -- Chandramouli and KL Rajashekar. We hear that they are yet to finalise the music director.