A 50-foot Darshan cutout, hundreds of junior artistes and an action sequence unfolding outside a Bengaluru theatre. This was the setting for the latest schedule of Devi, the upcoming Kannada film starring Mandya-based young farmer Chetan Gowda and Bigg Boss-fame Bhavya Gowda.
The film, directed by Prakash Kumar, follows a young man who arrives in the city from a village with dreams of making something of himself, only to get caught in circumstances that push him towards rowdyism. Chetan Gowda, who has also written the story and screenplay, plays the protagonist.
The action sequence, shot over the past two days outside Akash Theatre in Laggere, was staged in front of Darshan’s 50-foot cutout. Action choreographer Dileep has designed the sequence, which features Chetan alongside hundreds of junior artistes and actors including Huli Karthik, Jagga Mummy, Cockroach Sudhi and Yash Shetty.
For Chetan, the Darshan connection is more than just a backdrop for a scene. He is a self-confessed fan of the actor and plays a Darshan fan in Devi as well. “I am a Darshan fan, and I play a Darshan fan in the film too,” he says, explaining that the sequence is linked to the re-release of Shastri. In the film, his character comes to a theatre to watch Shastri and gets caught in a fight with the villains.
The film also features Sharath Babu as the principal antagonist. Chetan says the team has already completed another action sequence at Shivamogga jail, while producer Anaji Nagaraj, who backed Shastri, has also supported the project.
For director Prakash Kumar, the theatre sequence is one of the film’s major action portions. “We have completed seven to eight days of shooting and have another 45 days left,” he says. While the makers have consciously avoided giving the protagonist a machete, the character carries some of Darshan’s mannerisms, keeping the fan connection within the story.
Most of the remaining shoot will take place around Bengaluru, followed by a 10-day schedule in Mandya and another schedule in Shivamogga.
Yash Shetty plays Bhavya Gowda’s brother, a character who begins on the wrong side but gradually changes. Huli Karthik, Jagga Mummy, Cockroach Sudhi and Shreya, who plays the heroine’s friend, are also part of the cast.
With action and mother sentiment forming the film’s commercial core, Devi has Ajith Kumar as cinematographer, Sridhar V Sambhram composing the music and Masti writing the dialogues. For Chetan Gowda, the film is also a move from the fields of Mandya to the film sets, with his first film bringing together his interest in cinema and his admiration for Darshan.
