'A script like Kannaadi deserves to be in good hands'

Helmed by Caarthick Raju of Thirudan Police fame, Kannaadi is also Sundeep’s maiden production venture. “I liked Caarthick’s work in Thirudan Police and was keen on listening to the story. Also, I like watching horror films but never wanted to be a part of one as an actor. So, he came for a narration at a time when horror films were done to death in Tamil. He started narrating and I got so engrossed with it and applauded him while he finished. I always wanted to produce such a content and that is why I went on to produce the film in Telugu,” says Sundeep.

The actor is known for choosing content-oriented films and playing author-backed roles. However, he says that turning a producer isn’t a fairytale. He opens up, “There are lots of films in Tamil that are being made as a bilingual. Films that work in Tamil might not work in Telugu and vice versa. For this reason, I had to say ‘no’ to several good films because they might have worked in Tamil but not in Telugu. I cannot shatter the hopes of Telugu audience by giving them a bad film. My previous film Maayavan was sold by CV Kumar to someone who was already a pauper and had several cheque bounce cases against him. He ended up releasing the version that went to the censor and went about saying that one could make a film with a dog in the lead but not Sundeep. I had to pay for a mistake which wasn’t mine. That is why I decided to bankroll a good content all by myself.”

The film is Anya Singh’s debut in the south and she says, “My character in the film has an emotional graph. Sundeep and Caarthick believed that I would be a good fit to the role. I haven’t heard or seen a script like Kannaadi before and thriller is my favourite genre.” The trailer that released a few weeks ago was trending across social media for its minute detailing and the chemistry between Sundeep and Anya. “We had planned the trailer in a way that we should only be revealing the genre of the film and nothing more. The movie will be as rapid as the trailer but will be better than that with a complete screenplay. There will be a love portion and then the hero meets with an accident. Post that the hero will be seeing someone else in the mirror whenever he stands before it. That will provide the audience with the chills and thrills along with other elements that I cannot give away now,” adds Sundeep.

As Sundeep can dabble across Tamil and Telugu easily, we ask Anya about shooting simultaneously in languages that are alien to her. “Sundeep not only translated it for me but he prompted the dialogues in Tamil and Telugu even when he was in the frame. I wish I could do that. Initially, I used to note the dialogues in Hindi. But then different languages have different flow and I couldn’t do it. So, Caarthick too started prompting the dialogues in Tamil. As an actor, there is a certain responsibility that we have and there is a lot of money that is being shelled out. So, it is always good to learn the languages we work in. I can now manage decent Tamil and Telugu,” she smiles. On a concluding note, Sundeep and Anya say that Kannaadi is the perfect edge-of-the-seat thriller that will be worth the audience’s money.