Shivamma is a commercial film that is entertaining and also message-oriented: Rishab Shetty

Shivamma, directed by Jaishankar Aryar and produced by Rishab Shetty’s production house, has made its mark by being showcased at various film festivals worldwide, garnering accolades and awards at prestigious events like the Busan International Film Festival 2022, Three Continents Festival 2022, and Fajr International Film Festival. Screened at MAMI last October, it is all set to hit the big screens on June 14. An announcement of the release date was made by Rishab Shetty himself, who unveiled the film’s trailer in the presence of the team and director Jaishankar Aryar.

Shivamma follows the journey of a government school chef named Shivamma, who harbours aspirations of launching a network marketing venture to provide for her family. As an enthusiastic sales representative for an energy drink brand, Shivamma finds solace and purpose in multilevel marketing strategies. Set in a modest town on the outskirts of a city, Shivamma navigates her daily life, caring for her bedridden husband, preparing for her daughter’s impending marriage, and handling her unruly son. Despite her lack of formal education, Shivamma’s dedication to her work is a beacon of hope and determination in the face of financial adversity. As the matriarch of a struggling household, she explores unconventional avenues to secure her family’s livelihood.

Shivamma was entirely filmed in Yarehanchinala village in the Kuknur taluk of Koppal district, with all the actors being debutants from the same town. Rishab Shetty, speaking at the trailer launch event, mentioned, “I would like to credit director Jaishankar Aryar, whom I spotted at the short film festival, where I went as a jury member. I was attracted to his first short film, which won an award and decided to collaborate with him. He came up to me with Shivamma with the thought of putting together non-actors, and that’s how the film happened,” Rishab Shetty said.

According to the producer and filmmaker, Shivamma is a commercial film. “It is special to introduce a debutant who plays Shivamma as the protagonist of our film, and I am glad to bring this to theatres,” Rishab stated, adding, “Let alone Pan-India films, which are done on a big scale, even movies like Shivamma can entertain the audience. In addition to being an entertainer, this film will also be message-oriented. I could gauge the audience for Shivamma, which received a good response at the Bengaluru International Film Festival,” said Rishab, who concluded, “The film, distributed by KRG Studios, will be released in a minimum number of theatres in Bengaluru and across North Karnataka as well.”