Kadur Dharmanna’s next film, Raja Yoga, is an entertainer with a social message

Dharmanna and Niriksha in stills from the film
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Think Kadur Dharmamma and you immediately think Rama Rama Re and smile. The man kept us in splits with his brilliant portrayal in this Sathya Prakash film, where he plays a man eloping with his sweetheart and the two are on the run from their respective families. Then he was seen in a few more films, the latest being Man of the Match, which was again directed by Sathya Prakash.

Now, the talented actor, who has predominantly done comedy on screen, dons the role of a protagonist in Raja Yoga, directed by Lingaraju. “ Raja Yoga is a typical family entertainer. I was so moved by the story as it felt like a retro film, popularised by legends such as Anant Nag, Shashi Kumar, Kashinath. Family and relationships played a pivotal role in their films, with an ample dose of emotions and humour. Raja Yoga is a family drama that talks about the complexities of relationships. There is a dearth of such themes,” says Dharmanna.

He is all praise for director Lingaraju. “The powerful story and the manner in which he managed the first schedule of the shoot was impeccable. Even his characterisation is brilliant. The story is unique and has a social message. He has embedded humour in tense emotional moments, which is a knack in itself.”

Dharmanna says he felt confident of playing the lead role in Raja Yoga. “I knew I could pull it off. Otherwise the audience will never accept me as a fighting, wall climbing hero and neither am I built that way,” he laughs, taking a dig at himself. He adds, “Comedy and acting are a staple for me, but roles such as this come as a breath of fresh air and feels like a holige habba (festive meal)“.

The film was officially announced at Renukamba Studios, Malleswaram, where the team revealed that they were done with the first leg of shooting in and around Melkote. “The film has the typical Kannada lingo from the belt of Davangere, Chitradurga and Kadur. Its other specialty is that there are 80 characters and each character gets 80% screen time, which is also rare in cinema,” explains Dharmanna.

Dharmanna shares the screen with actors like Nagendra Shah, Niriksha Rao (who plays the female lead) and Sreenivas Gowda to name a few.