Krishna Ajai Rao reflects on his career: I should have sold myself in a better market

Krishna Ajai Rao reflects on his career: After 23 years in films, Kannada actor Krishna Ajai Rao says he did not find success and stardom because his focus was only on story and director

Ajai Rao's next is Sarala Subbarao

Kannada actor Krishna Ajai Rao has done over 30 films in the span of 23 years, but it’s only a handful of them that made some impact and are remembered, mainly from his early days, like Excuse Me, Krishnan Love Story, Krishnan Marriage Story, etc. Ajai’s contemporary Yash, for instance, has had a very different trajectory, despite a similar start and no filmi background. What went wrong for Ajai?

Ajai Rao on what went wrong in his career...

“I have great respect for all the filmmakers who stood by me through the years and helped me stay in the business. However, the way I look at it is that I should have worked on a different sphere; I should have sold myself in a better market. I don’t blame anyone who has worked with me; they’ve all put their best efforts. But still, for my calibre, I should have chosen something else; not in a different language, but a different scale of films,” said Ajai, during the Kairam Vaashi podcast, as part of the promotions of his next, Sarala Subbarao.

Also read: Sarala Subbarao’s Krishna Ajai Rao on Yuddhakaanda: The film was running houseful when…

Ajai elaborates that the bigger the canvas and scale, the bigger a star an actor becomes. So far, he had only been focusing on the story and director, but Ajai has now realized that he needs to do the same story on a bigger canvas. This is a learning that the actor says he’s had after his years in the industry. The problem of not aspiring for those bigger scale projects is that an actor gets branded for a certain kind of films, within a limited budget, based on the market value of the actor. This is a limitation that the industry sets for an actor, he says.

Also read: Ajai Rao on picking Sarala Subbarao: Triveni was a writer who Dr Rajkumar favoured

Meanwhile, Ajai’s next, Sarala Subbarao is a film set in the 70s, based on a popular novel by Triveni, called Vasanthagana. The actor is paired with Misha Narang in the film by Manju Swaraj, which dwells on the relationship of a young husband and wife, from their first meeting, to their early marital days, to welcoming their first child. The film will be in theatres on February 20, 2026.

Sarala Subbarao FAQs

Q. Where to watch Sarala Subbarao?

A. The Kannada fiilm Sarala Subbarao was meant to release in theatres on February 12, 2026, but was then postponed to February 20.

Q. Who is on the cast and crew of Sarala Subbarao.

A. Sarala Subbarao has been directed by Manju Swaraj. It is based on a novel by Triveni. Krishna Ajai Rao and Misha Narang are in the lead, supported by the likes of Rangayana Raghu, Vijay Chendoor, Veena Sundar, Rishika Naik, Shri Mahadev, Chitkala Biradar, among others.

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