Director Sagar Kumar Reveals "Anamadheya Ashok Kumar" Was Written Specifically for Actor Kishore
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Sagar, who made the leap from IT pro to director, faced a tough situation when he struggled to find anyone willing to fund his project. He had to break the news to his lead actor that it would be self-funded. Surprisingly, Kishore didn’t back out, which is how Anamadheya Ashok Kumar came to life. “When I approached Kishore sir about Anamadheya Ashok Kumar, I showed him a short film I had created called Varadi, and I think that helped him trust me as a director,” Sagar shares.
Anamadheya Ashok Kumar is a gripping murder mystery centered on the death of a prominent figure and the investigation of a suspect who might either be the killer or just an innocent person caught up in the chaos. Harshil Koushik, known for Achaar and Co, plays the detective, while Kishore takes on the role of the journalist who’s under suspicion for the crime.
The journey of creating Anamadheya Ashok Kumar
In the 100-page screenplay, Sagar mentions that Kishore pointed out just two lines he found politically incorrect. “Other than that, he said we were all set to start filming in 2022. We had a schedule lined up where Kishore would join us on Day 3 and stick around for the next 10 days to wrap it up. But after just 2 days of shooting, I had a personal emergency and had to pause the schedule,” he explains.
After that, getting Kishore back on board was tricky since his calendar was packed, and Sagar, who was still juggling his IT job, had a 6-month work assignment in Germany. “When I got back to India, I met with Kishore and showed him what we had filmed in those 2 days. He told me to handle the pre-production and then get back to him. After that, he provided the dates we needed to complete the film. We managed to shoot most of it in about 10 days, divided into two parts, with a small section still needing Kishore’s involvement. It took about a month and a half before he could join us again, but in the meantime, I had already finished editing the film,” Sagar shares.
Casting choice of Harshil Koushik as CI Athirath
Anamadheya Ashok Kumar was a perfect fit for Kishore, so casting him was a no-brainer. But how did Harshil get involved? Sagar shares, “Honestly, I initially wanted Prakash Raj to play the police officer and have him go up against Kishore. But connecting with him was a challenge. Plus, managing the schedules of both Kishore and Prakash would have been a logistical headache. If I had both of them, it would have taken about a year and a half to shoot, so I opted for a fresher face instead.”
The director looked at several other actors, but nothing worked out. With just three days left before shooting was set to begin, he reached out to Harshil for a contact. “Harshil was supposed to take on a different role, but he asked me why I wasn’t considering him for CI Athirath. After Achaar and Co, he had really bulked up and was rocking a six-pack. He’d definitely look great in a cop uniform and he can act too,” he adds.
Anamadheya Ashok Kumar hits theaters on February 7 with a limited release, competing against several other films this week, including the major release, Vidaamuyarchi. “It's tough to get people into theaters, and for a film like ours, word-of-mouth is crucial. But even if the buzz is good, many might just wait for it to stream on an OTT platform. We knew our cast might not be the biggest draws, but we’re hoping the story resonates with viewers. When we started, a few distributors were interested, but by the time we were ready to launch, that interest faded. Those still around wanted a lot of cash and suggested changes to make the film more marketable, which I wasn’t willing to do,” Sagar concludes.
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