777 Charlie director Kiranraj K wins Best Director at 13th Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival

Debutant director Kiranraj K impressed the entire country with his moving drama 777 Charlie, a film centred on the endearing relationship between a man and his canine friend. Through breathtaking visuals, a splendid score and a solid script, Kiranraj was able to tug at the audience's heartstrings with the drama which not only won critical praise but also emerged as a major commercial success. Rakshit Shetty, who stars in the film as the leading man Dharma, produced the film under his home banner of Paramvah Studios.

Recognizing his commendable work in the film, the 13th edition of the Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival has honoured Kiranraj K with the Best Director award. Shot in several exotic-yet-tough locations in India, team 777 Charlie has garnered a lot of praise for the painstaking efforts in putting the film together. In his conversations with OTTplay, Kiranraj has revealed the lengths to which he and the team went in order to imbue the film with a sense of authenticity. The makers brought an expert dog trainer on board to train Charlie, the labrador pup in the film, in performing as many as 250 different actions in the film.

777 Charlie was released in theatres worldwide on June 10, 2022, in multiple Indian languages and attracted praise from all corners. The film grossed over Rs. 105 crores during its theatrical run.

Kiranraj's film isn't the only Kannada project present in the top Feature Films category as Sourabh Shukla's 1888 bags the Honorary Jury Mention honour. Bengaluru-based advocate Vasanth Adithya's Cleaning the Courtroom documentary, too, received the Honorary Jury Mention at the 13th Dada Saheb Phalke Festival.

The 13th Dada Saheb Phalke Festival was held on April 30 to mark the 153rd birth anniversary of the father of Indian cinema, Shri. Dhundiraj Govind Phalke who is fondly known as Dadasaheb Phalke. The annual affair honours some of the best talents from various filmmaking sections including feature films, short films, documentaries, animations, music videos & ad films.