Kiran Raj on his return to the small screen: The honest and practical truth is…

Kannadathi fame Kiran Raj was expected to focus on his film career, but he’s all set to be back on TV with the new show Karna

Kiran Raj to headline new TV serial Karna

When actors make the transition from the small screen to the cinema, generally, they remain focused on that journey, in the hope of using their popularity to gain a foothold in films too. A return to TV is rare, unless, of course, it is in the capacity of a show host or judge. For a hero to make the switch and then return to doing daily soaps is perceived as the last-ditch effort to rebuild a career in showbiz if cinema dreams fail to take off.

Actor Kiran Raj, though, has been pragmatic in his approach. Although he briefly bid adieu to the small screen once Kannadathi came to an end, and he had as many as 3 film releases in 2024 – Bharjari Gandu, Megha and Ronny: The Ruler – the movies did not do him much good. And instead of moping around and waiting for more opportunities, given the Kannada film industry’s current spell of lull, he’s done the next best thing – return to TV.

Kiran Raj: What is most important as an artiste is....

Kiran is headlining a new show called Karna that will begin on Zee Kannada shortly. Speaking about why he’s back on TV, Kiran candidly admitted that it’s got to do with the reach the medium has. “I never differentiated between mediums, whether it is TV or cinema. But the absolute honest and practical truth is that the reach that television offers a hero is large, which is very important as an artiste. It’s not the platform, but the reach that matters and my main consideration is that and the role. Having said that, I would like to be on all media – TV, films and web series - and get maximum reach,” he told Filmy First.

Also read: Kiran Raj heeds Annavru and Puneeth fans plea, changes title of Bahaddur Gandu to Bharjari Gandu

Kiran is paired with Bigg Boss Kannada 11 fame Bhavya Gowda, while Namratha Gowda, who was on Season 10 of the reality show is also onboard, although her role has been kept under wraps. Produced by Shruti Naidu, who recently made the first Kannada original web series for Zee5, Ayyana Mane, Karna also stars TS Nagabharana, Varalakshmi Srinivas, Sunder Veena, among others.

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