Actor Naveen Chandra, who has been juggling multiple film commitments in Tamil and Telugu, is awaiting the release of his first Kannada film Mark, starring Kichcha Sudeep in the lead role. Directed by Vijay Karthikeyaa who helmed Max with Sudeep last year, Mark is set for release in theatres on December 25, coinciding with Christmas.
The actor had a fruitful year with six film releases. With Mark, he will be seeing his seventh theatrical release this year. However, reception for his films have been mixed with some gaining critical acclaim, while the others performed overwhelmingly at the box office. His last Tamil film Eleven was one among the latter, but received positive responses upon its arrival on OTT. When probed about the contrasting views on theatre and OTT, he said that he considers the overall viewership as the benchmark for a successful film, regardless of the platform it is in.
"I was receiving complements from public who watched it in theatres as well as from audiences who caught it on OTT. I am grateful to all of them. What else can I ask? It was released in eight languages and I received praise from all sides. It pushes me to do better films," he shared, in an exclusive interview with Cinema Express.
He further added, "But I do wish many had watched it in theatres. Ultimately, theatrical experience can never be matched by anything else. But with theatrical footfall becoming unpredictable and sometimes less, it is difficult to pull them to the big screens. Word-of-mouth reviews help and that's how Eleven's OTT viewership rose to great heights. But at the end of the day, I am happy with whatever God is giving me."
A thriller film directed by Lokkesh AJLS, Eleven also featured Reyaa Hari, Shashank, Abhirami, Dileepan, Riythvika, Aadukalam-fame Naren, Ravi Varma, Arjai, and Kireeti Damaraju. It released in May this year to mixed reviews.
His upcoming film Mark stars actors from across South Indian Industry. Apart from Sudeep and Naveen Chandra, the ensemble cast also includes Vikranth, Yogi Babu, Guru Somasundaram, Roshni Prakash, Archana Kottige, Pratap Narayan, Deepshika, Raghu Ramanakoppa, Mahantesh Hiremath, and Ashwin Hassan.
The story follows Sudeep who plays police officer Ajay Markandeya, also known as ‘Mark,’ who must rescue certain kidnapped children within 18 hours. The trailer plunges audiences into the dangerous world of human trafficking and political manipulation.
