Nikhil Kumar steps into Kurukshetra as Abhimanyu

Nikhil Kumar has a unique approach to cinema, when compared to his peers in the Kannada industry. While the actor’s third film, which is with Mahesh Rao, is to go on floors in September, the buzz is around his next and immediate project. The actor has agreed to play Abhimanyu in Darshan-starrer Kurukshetra.

The young actor is to be part of the ensemble cast that includes veteran actors such as Ambareesh and Ravichandran. Nikhil says. “I accepted this role only for producer Munirathnna, I am in awe of his working style. I also like the way his team is handling this project.”

Nikhil was happy to learn that the producer had only him in mind to play Abhimanyu. “We have been in talks for the past three months and I only accepted the role after four to five rounds of discussion,” he says.

The armour is being readied and Nikhil is gearing up for the photoshoot, which should be done on Monday at Hyderabad.

The actor, who likes to be ahead of his times, refuses to do any simple characters. “Today an actor can make a name with one film, if you pick the right one. You don’t need a 100 films to make your mark.” To Nikhil, being part of a Mahabharatha epic is a rare opportunity. “This is not an imaginary story, we will be presentating history to the audience,” he says.

'Kempegowda was discussed even before I entered this industry'

Meanwhile, Nikhil has already decided his on his fourth project, which is on Nadaprabhu Kempegowda. It will be a period drama, and work on it has already started, with Nikhil’s father and producer, Kumaraswamy roping in well-known Kannada writers and authors to work on the script. Preproduction work will be done over eight months, before they go on floors with the project from April.

“Kempegowda project had been discussed in my house even before I entered the industry,” says Nikhil. “It is something my father and I had always discussed.”

Though a film on Kempegowda was not an immediate plan, Nikhil’s part in Kurukshetra prompted them to follow it up with another period film. “People would see me as Abhimanyu in Kurukshetra and we thought it would be best to keep the buzz going with another period film on Kempegowda,” he says.

While it is too early to talk about the project, Nikhil says that if anyone from the industry can do justice to a film on Kempegowda, it would be choreographer-turned-director A Harsha. “I think only Harsha can helm this project, provided he can give eight to nine months for this alone,” says Nikhil. “I will be holding discussions with him regarding this, it is too early to confirm anything.”