Chandan Shetty paired with Archana Kottige in Sujay Shastry’s Elra Kaal Eliyutte Kaala

Over the weekend, actor-filmmaker Sujay Shastry announced his second directorial, a comedy-drama called Elra Kaal Eliyutte Kaala (EKEK), which will introduce popular rapper-composer Chandan Shetty as an actor to Kannada audiences. “If it hadn’t been for the pandemic, I would have made another film much earlier. My directorial debut, Gubbi Mela Brahmastra came out in August 2019 and by 2020 we were all locked up due to the pandemic. If you delete those two years, technically, I am doing back-to-back films as a director,” Sujay laughs and continues, “So, now I’ve decided to start my new film, Elra Kaal Eliyutte Kaala, which will go on floors next week, which is a new genre for me as a filmmaker, and not as an actor. It’s a period film, wherein the focus is, quite literally, on time. A any given point, time is an essential factor in our lives, which is what we are trying to explore in this film, which will be shot in the rural outskirts of Bengaluru. I firmly believe it is a fresh content, with the focus on situational comedy, so that nothing feels force fitted.”

Chandan, says Sujay, has been on the lookout for the right script to begin his acting journey for about five years. “Although he has been collaborating with hardcore commercial filmmakers as a singer or composer, he was not keen to do such films that would only have him fight, mouth punchlines, etc. Chandan is a good actor and was looking for a good script. Since I have a theatre background and am used to taking actors through the rigmarole of workshops, I know I can extract from him exactly what I need for this film. I have already put him through his paces, which he very willingly went through, as he wanted to learn more about the craft of acting,” says the filmmaker.

The film has been written by Sujay’s friend Rajguru Hoskote, while the brother duo Praveen-Pradeep fill in as composers. “A prerequisite that I had put before Chandan was that he would only act in this film,” says Sujay, who will play a character in Elra Kaal Eliyutte Kaala. The film will pair Chandan with Archana Kottige and include Mandya Ramesh, Manju Pavagada, Rakesh (of Comedy Khiladigalu fame), among others, on the cast.

Meanwhile, on the acting front, Sujay’s next release will be the MG Srinivas directed Old Monk, in which the former plays a character called Ranveer Singh, who has been modelled on Bollywood star Ranveer Singh. “If I am not mistaken, a bulk of the budget of making Old Monk has gone to the costume department, for my outfits. We have tried to replicate most of Ranveer’s outrageous outfits in the film, as my character considers him god,” says Sujay, who is a regular feature in Srinivas’ directorials. “Yes, if he’s the lead, I am always the second lead in films that he directs. It’s a combination that has worked out well for us. Old Monk is a pucca family entertainer with a lot of comedy, which will be very enjoyable for everyone,” he signs off.