Dheekshith Shetty on Video: I turned producer to support a passionate team and new talent, but…

There are dime-a-dozen actors-turned-producers, many of who back their own acting gigs, while some also support the dreams of upcoming talent. Take, for instance, Rakshit Shetty’s Paramvah Studios, Rishab Shetty’s Rishab Shetty Films, late Puneeth Rajkumar’s PRK Studios, Dhananjaya’s Daali Pictures, and so on and so forth. Joining this long list of actor-producers is Dia fame Dheekshith Shetty, who is backing his pal and Blink director Srinidhi Bengaluru’s next venture, Video, a horror film shot in the found-footage format.

Dheekshith Shetty: Not a producer; am an investor

The question that arises, of course, is whether production will be a mainstay for the actor going forward. What is the future of Dhee Cinemas like? Dheekshith, however, is not keen to call himself a producer just yet, because he is clear that his future as a producer will depend squarely on how Video performs monetarily. Right now, he’d rather classify himself as an investor.

“There was a purpose behind backing Video; I wanted to support a passionate team and new talent. This is my token of gratitude to the industry that has supported me over the years. I am now giving it a bunch of new actors and a good director and technical team. If this film does well, there will be more. Else, there will be a hard stop and I will consider this a good experience,” said Dheekshith in conversation with FDFS Kannada.

The actor, who will be seen in films like Girlfriend, Bank of Bhagyalakshmi, among others, adds that his primary focus is and will always be acting. “I am an actor and will always prioritize acting. But having said that, if there is a return on investment, I will continue to support new talent and give them a platform,” he adds.

*If horror is your cup of tea, check out Last Bus , Aake and Krishna Talkies *

In Kannada, Dheekshith has Bank of Bhagyalakshmi ready for release, while Girlfriend and KJQ are his next projects in Telugu. His next in Tollywood is Shabara, which is in production, while his Malayalam debut, Angel No.16 (earlier called Oppees), will also be in theatres shortly.