Dollu makers Sagar Puranik and Pavan Wadeyar to collaborate again

When Pavan Wadeyar launched his production banner Wadeyar Films along with his wife Apeksha Purohit, he said that the intention was to back good arthouse Kannada cinema. His debut venture was Dollu, directed by then debutant Sagar Puranik, a film that went on to win the National Award for Best Kannada Feature Film of 2022.

Dollu movie review: A heartwarming tale of inclusivity and reviving a waning art form 

The duo is back again, for what will be Pavan’s third production. “The second is my Hindi directorial Awasthi vs Awasthi with Parambrata Chatterjee, which is currently in the last stages of post-production. We are targeting a March-April release for it,” says Pavan. The film will get a wider Hindi belt release, he says, adding that March 15 is a tentative date that they are working towards.

The film with Sagar, the title and cast details of which will be announced shortly, is a more ‘commercial’ film, says Pavan. It’s what Sagar also wanted to do with his sophomore project – a class subject presented with mass elements. “The story is set in North Karnataka and starts in Hubballi, from where the narrative then travels across the country. I was quite impressed with the subject,” says Pavan.

But isn’t this film going against the basic grain of the banner’s objective, which was to back the kind of cinema that Pavan admires, but doesn’t have the sensibility to make as a filmmaker? “If you look at the scale that we are planning for the film it may seem so, but the beauty of this film is its subject, which justifies my involvement in this project,” adds Pavan, who has two friends onboard as co-producers, Mohanlal Menon and Avinash Rai.

So, when is Pavan returning to direction in Kannada cinema? His last was 2022’s Raymo. “That is also in the works. I will announce my next directorial shortly. Pre-production is on,” says the filmmaker.