Raj B Shetty wraps up his third directorial, Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye

The film was initially meant to mark Ramya’s comeback, but she later excused herself and got Siri Ravikumar in the lead.

Raj will be paired with Siri Ravikumar and not Ramya

When Kannada cinema’s Queen Bee Ramya announced her much-awaited comeback, she began by launching her production house, Apple Box Studios. The plan, she said, was to make films that would focus on giving women strong characters, either for theatrical outings or direct-to-OTT releases. At the time, there was speculation that she was set to return to acting too and that she would be working with one of the three Shettys – Raj, Rishab or Rakshit. Ramya did not deny it, but didn’t confirm it completely then, saying only that she was working with ‘a Shetty’.

The confirmation came during Dasara this year, when the title of her first home production was announced. Called Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye, the film was to be directed by Raj B Shetty and star him and Ramya in the lead. However, with only days to go for the film to go on floors, Ramya had a change of heart, insisting that Raj recast for her role, as she felt that the character would be better suited for a relatively newer and fresher face. Subsequently, Siri Ravikumar got the role and the team took off to Ooty and then Mysore.

What’s interesting is that Raj has completed his film in less than a month. Today, the official social media page of Apple Box Studio posted, “And it’s a wrap for Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye,” accompanied by an image of the entire team.

Ramya, meanwhile, did not take long to announce her comeback film. The actress will be a part of KRG Studios’ third production, Uttarakaanda, which has Dhananjaya in the lead. The film, directed by Rathnan Prapancha maker Rohit Padaki, is a tale of the gangs of North Karnataka. The actress’ return was announced on November 6 with a special teaser that had her voice over in North Karnataka dialect.

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