Ayyana Mane producer Shruti Naidu on avoiding ‘over-exposed’ faces in Kannada web series

When Premier Padmini maker Shruti Naidu took up the challenge of producing Zee5’s first original Kannada web series, Ayyana Mane, besides ensuring that audiences at no point feel that the story or treatment is like a routine TV serial, she also had to ensure that the cast brought in the gravitas that each of the characters required. Shruti, who has dabbled with producing hit Kannada TV shows for several years, could have lined up a bunch of popular names that audiences already know, but she chose not to.

“But for the hero, Akshay Nayak, who was the lead in one of my serials, Olavina Nildana, director Ramesh Indira and I decided to go with a cast of film actors. It was not a hard and fast rule to not have TV actors on board, because they are also immensely talented, but we thought that over-exposed faces will not give a freshness to the product we were creating. By and large, casting was the director’s call; he was determined on getting certain actors for particular roles. For instance, Manasi Sudhir’s role as the mother-in-law in the household could have been done by any other actor, but the value add that she brings was very important,” explains Shruti.

Ayyana Mane producer Shruti Naidu on the cast

Ayyana Mane has a talented bunch like Kushee Ravi, Archana Kottige, Hitha Chandrashekar, Anirudh Acharya, Vijay Shobraj, Ramesh Indira, among others, on the cast, but given that it is a web series that is not only for Kannada audiences, they may not be the most marketable names. Shruti, though, says that that having actors who could carry the roles well is all that she looked at. “When you see the show, I can vouch for it that you will never once think whether this is a commercially viable cast or not. The story and screenplay are so gripping that, honestly, you will only see the characters.,” Shruti says.

The producer cites the example of Kantara, which had a few known names, but also an equal, if not bigger number of relatively lesser known actors and newcomers. “Back then, who knew Manasi, or Saptami Gowda, for that matter? Rishab ensured that audiences were so engrossed in the story, screenplay and making that it didn’t matter who played which role. That is how Ayyana Mane will look to audiences,” she explains.

Also read: Ayyana Mane producer Shruti Naidu: Our Kannada web series is now down from 7 to 6 episodes | Exclusive