'After listening to Damayanti script, Radhika prioritised it over other projects'

Radhika Kumaraswamy-starrer Damayanti, directed and produced by Navarasan, will be released this Friday (November 29) in Kannada, which will be followed by the Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam versions on December 6. Ahead of the release of his horror-comedy, the director reveals some interesting information about the film. The story, set in both 1980 and the present, has Radhika Kumaraswamy playing the role of a doctor. “The present will see her as a ghost, Damayanti, while the doctor will come in the flashback episode,” says Navarasan, who is also a distributor and actor.

“I trained at Koothu-p-pattarai institute in Chennai for three years, where I learned the art of direction and acting. This has now come in handy. I started distribution in 2008, and later made my acting debut in Tamil, followed by the Kannada film, Rakshasi,” he tells us. Having gained experience in various departments, he decided to test waters as a director with Vaira. “It was made with a shoestring budget, and I received good feedback. That gave me the confidence to come up with a big-budget film like Damayanti,” says Navarasan, who has also written the story and screenplay of the film.  “Masti and I have jointly written the dialogues for Damayanti,” he adds.

Radhika Kumaraswamy caught his attention in a jewellery ad, and he decided to cast her in Damayanti. “I was sure she could be moulded into the character of Damayanti and approached her. Since it would be a comeback for her, she was particular about the project that she wanted to be a part of. After listening to the script she decided to prioritise our project over others,” says Navarasan.

The film, which consists of 25 minutes of CGI scenes, will feature also veteran actor GK Reddy, as well as Sadhu Kokila, Tabla Nani, Vijay Chendoor, Kempegowda, Pavan and Karthik.