Darling Krishna: I want to break out of the romantic hero image, but am not finding the right script

In the aftermath of the success of his directorial debut Love Mocktail, and, subsequently, the sequel, Love Mocktail 2, actor-filmmaker Darling Krishna had gone on a signing spree. All of these films, though, were romantic dramas or romantic comedies, a genre that Krishna said he was most comfortable with, as he believes that it has far more repeat value than, say, a thriller. However, much to his chagrin, barring his directorial Love Mocktail 2, nothing else worked at the box office.

Krishna has pegged a lot of hope on his next, Kousalya Supraja Rama, which has been directed by Shashank, known for launching the careers of several stars in Kannada cinema, including Rocking Star Yash and Radhika Pandit. Shashank has been quoted as saying that in his career as a filmmaker, Kousalya Supraja Rama is his best work to date.

“Kousalya Supraja Rama is the kind of film that the whole family can watch together. I play Rama, who is quite arrogant and chauvinistic. He doesn’t care about others or their feelings. He’s quite self-centric too,” said Krishna about his role in the film. And this, he says, will be his last romantic drama for a while, apart from some of his other earlier commitments like Sugar Factory and Love Me or Hate Me that are yet to hit theatres.

“Kousalya Supraja Rama is the last film that I signed up for after Love Mocktail 2 in March 2022. I have not taken up new work since, as I want to break away from this genre. I have been listening to scripts, but truth be told, I am yet to find one that I think will work,” said Krishna, adding, “These days, it is confusing for filmmakers as to what kind of movies can be made that will attract audiences. Given the abundance of content on OTTs, whatever you give them today does not feel new or fresh to them. That’s a big issue today.”