Arjun Janya on the inspiration behind 45: I wrote it during the pandemic when…

Kannada cinema’s magical composer Arjun Janya, who is fresh off the success of the album of Krishnam Pranaya Sakhi, will present his debut directorial in theatres in only 4 months. Throughout the making of the film, Arjun remained tight-lipped about the subject, and, more recently, after he revealed a teaser, he said that the title denotes that the story is set in a 45-day period. In the trailer, Upendra has been shown as a character like Yama (the God of death), while Shivarajkumar is Shiva, going by the release date announcement promo, which had him on a scooter fitted with a three-pronged gun that looked like a Trishul.

45 - a battle of life and death?

The story, it would seem revolves around the battle between death and life, with Shivarajkumar stepping in as Raj B Shetty’s saviour. Arjun’s recent revelation about the inspiration behind the story of 45 gives these theories more credibility. Speaking at the Hindi teaser launch of 45 in Mumbai, Arjun said that losing his brother during the Covid-19 pandemic was what planted the seed of the plot in his head. "I wrote the story of 45 after my brother passed away during the second lockdown of the pandemic," he said. 

Waiting for Shivarajkumar's 45? Watch his hits like Bhairathi Ranagal, Ghost, Vedhaa and more on OTTplay Premium 

The filmmaker has also said earlier that the story is steeped in Sanatana Dharma fundamentals, meaning that the 45 could be about the 45 days following the death of a person, when the family observes specific customs and rituals to prepare the soul for the next stage of its journey – either in the afterlife or as a reincarnation. 

Going by the visuals in the teaser of a funeral pyre and someone appearing to be drowning, there has been speculation that Raj’s character dies, but gets a 45-day reprieve. The reimagined version of the song from Om, which now has the lyrics, 'I'll kill him, you must save him' is also an indication that the plot revolves around the battle between Shivarajkumar and Upendra over Raj. Of course, we will have to wait for the trailer or the film itself to find out what Arjun’s got in store.

45 is the film that Shivarajkumar completed before heading to the US for surgery as part of his cancer treatment. Although his prognosis was good before leaving, the actor was hell-bent on ensuring that the team is not left in the lurch if something were to happen to him and wrapped up all portions, including action blocks, while undergoing chemotherapy.