Raj B Shetty’s next release in Kannada is Roopanthara, a film by Mithilesh Edavalath, which the actor-filmmaker is presenting in theatres under his Lighter Buddha Films. Set for a theatrical outing on July 26, Roopanthara has 5 hyper-linked narratives, in which characters cross each other’s paths – more like Babel kind of treatment, says Mithilesh. “The narrative follows the characters, jumping from one to the other, who may have a similar journey. The stories are not similar, but they are linked thematically, or even physically, in the sense that one person’s deed can affect another” says Mithilesh, whose trailer cut hinted at multiple stories, and little else. 

With less than 10 days to go for the film’s release, Mithilesh is keen to keep the mystery going. Tell the filmmaker that the impression one gets from the trailer is that it is thought-provoking and hard-hitting, targeting a niche audience, and he quips, “The emotions that we have captured with the stories, the craft, music, etc., are meant to connect to any audience, but the structure is what may seem niche. We are hoping everyone likes it,” says Mithilesh, adding, “As the title suggests, the film is about the metamorphosis that a character in each of the stories goes through. That is more important than the crossover. The idea is to show that there is still hope in the humanity in people.” 

Mithilesh, who has spent several years in Bengaluru, has developed the stories based on the people he met in the city. All the characters in Roopanthara, but for one from north Karnataka, are from Bengaluru. “I was not sure if I could place them anywhere else – geographically, socially or politically,” says the filmmaker about his choice of making it in Kannada.

The second production of Suhan Prasad who backed Raj’s debut Ondu Motteya Kathe, Roopanthara also stars Lekha Naidu, Hanumakka, Bharath GB, Somshekhar Bolegaon, among others. It has cinematography by Pravin Shriyan and music by Midhun Mukundan, both of who have worked on all of Raj’s directorials and productions.

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