I wanted my character in 99 to appear as real as possible: Ganesh

Preetham Gubbi, whose film 99 went on floors in December, has completed a 35-day schedule. The Kannada film, inspired by the Tamil film 96, starring Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha, features Ganesh and Bhavana as the leads. Left with one song to shoot, the makers have revealed Ganesh’s look from the film, and it appears that the actor has gone the extra mile for his transformation. “I really loved the role, which is what helped in making the transformation,” he says.

Even though Ganesh initially gave 25 days for shooting, he took another 20 days to fit into the character. The actor says that the role allowed him to be himself. “It’s an intense character. However, I tried to keep it natural. I wanted my role to appear as real as possible,” he says. 

Ganesh adds, “I had to put on at least three kilos within 20 days, and grow a beard for the shoot. Just as I completed the schedule for Geetha, I started preparing for 99. I stopped exercising and all I did was eat everything I liked to gain weight. By the time I went on the sets, I weighed four kilos more, which fit the role.” He is now exercising rigorously to get back to shape for his next film, Geetha, and will start dubbing for 99 from next week.

Meanwhile, the team will be travelling to North India for 13 days to shoot a song. “The hero in the film is a travel photographer, and this particular song will represent his character. The track will be shot sometime in the month of February across unique locations,” says director Preetham.

Made under Ramu Enterprises, the 99 team is targetting a March end release. This is music director Arjun Janya’s 100th film. The cast also includes Samiksha and Hemanth, who will be playing the younger versions of Bhavana and Ganesh.