My debut may have been a hit, but I still want to prove myself with Rajaratha: Anup Bhandari

Three years ago, when RangiTaranga was all set to release, director Anup Bhandari was just another man passionately trying his hand at making a film that’s close to his heart. The movie released, becoming a sleeper hit and winning him acclaim for its unique storyline and fresh style of filmmaking. It paved an easy path for him to cast and shoot his second project — Rajaratha, starring Nirup Bhandari, Avantika Shetty and Arya — this time with a bigger cast and crew and better production values.“I needed to prove myself with RangiTaranga. With Rajaratha, I still feel the same way. Yes, my debut film did go on to become a hit, but I won’t rest on that,” he says. The film is being released through KRG Studios.
So, what, according to Anup, makes Rajaratha special and a must-watch? Here’s what he had to say:
* Puneeth Rajkumar, as Rajaratha the bus, carries the story forward with his animated voice-over. People should not miss the beginning and end of the movie because that is when he has some of the best dialogues in the movie.
* We have tried to set very high standards with the audio quality of the film. The movie’s sound has been mastered by MR Rajakrishnan, known for his work in Kirik Party, Bangalore Days and Premam. When someone like him, who’s worked on such big hits, tells me, “I feel like I’m creating magic in this film and think this will give me a big name,” I can’t think of a bigger compliment I can get as a filmmaker.
* Visually, we’ve tried to make every frame look like a painting. Shot by cinematographer William David and coloured by Shiva (who’s worked on movies such as Baahubali and Eega), there are a lot of scenes that will be visually very attractive.
* We’ve treated the music of the movie almost like a musical, although in the strictest term it’s not. The songs have been composed by me, while B Ajaneesh Loknath has weaved the background music. The lyrics, also penned by me, are an extension of the movie’s dialogues — they are in accordance with the film and carry the story along.
* Nirup’s shown his versatility as an actor with this role, while Avantika, as a bubbly character, shows off her range. When it comes to Arya, his screen presence is something you cannot ignore. P Ravi Shankar plays a role unlike any he’s played before, both in terms of his looks and personality, so that’ll be something fresh for the Kannada audience.
* The main thing to look forward to is the movie’s suspense element, which we have managed to not reveal so far. It’s something every Kannadiga, in fact every Indian, must watch, and you’ll understand exactly why I’m saying this when you watch the film.