Chillum’s first look is here

Five days into the shooting schedule of Manoranjan-starrer Chillum, which took place in Bengaluru, director J Chandrakala is excited about how her project has kicked off. With Priyanka Thimmesh as the female lead, the film has a good cast, especially with Raghavendra Rajkumar making a comeback as a villain, along with Bollywood actor Nana Patekar in a pivotal role.

Another added attraction is said to be Suman Ranganath’s character. The team is getting ready to start the next schedule, which resumes in Mysuru from Thursday, and have revealed the first look from the film.

CE has gotten hold of a few stills from Chillum, in which Manoranjan is seen flaunting his ‘bad boy’ makeover, complete with shiny guns, messy hair and rugged beard. The film, that revolves around the drug mafia, has the actor playing Guru, and the stills show him fitting his character to a T. In the pictures, the actor is seen sporting a Trishul tattoo and smoking a chillum, in keeping with the film's title. It’s hard to believe that this is the same hero who starred in Saheba and Bruhaspati.

“Though we spent just a few days on the sets, I can say with confidence that he is a director’s actor. He doesn’t have any airs of being a star’s son. The confidence he showed while agreeing to be part of the film has only doubled once shooting started. He understands what the role demands, and has been delivering my vision in every shot,” says Chandrakala, adding, “As a director, this has only brought out more enthusiasm in me. All the artistes on the sets for Chillum are completely surrendering to their respective characters, and this includes actors such as Devaraj, and even those playing the vital roles of Manoranjan’s friends--Diwakar, Raghav Nath, Sandeep and Bharath.”

Chandrakala also mentions that cinematographer Naveen Kumar is keeping her on her toes. “Our rapport seems to be working well, and each time I look at the monitor, its’s like the making of an English film,” she says.

The film, which will be an action-packed drama, gets a vintage backdrop with a few scenes shot at a set created at Minivera Mills. They will now be shooting a few portions in and around the palaces of Mysuru. “We will later head to Chikkamagaluru and Goa. We also plan to explore a new destination, which will be confirmed in the coming days,” she tells us.