Exclusive! I am overwhelmed at having been picked by Rakshit Shetty for his next production: Vihan

Vihan is quite literally on cloud nine right now, having bagged the lead role in actor-filmmaker Rakshit Shetty’s next production, which will mark the directorial debut of Chandrajith Belliappa, a writer with the former’s Paramvah Studios. Vihan, who was last seen in director Yogaraj Bhat’s 2019 film Panchatantra, had been MIA from industry circles for a while. “After Panchatantra, I got quite a few offers, but I couldn’t wholeheartedly accept them because the content was quite run-of-the-mill. From the beginning, I have been trying to establish myself as a performer than just a commercial hero, which is easier said than done if you are not from the industry and do not have a godfather. In fact, I was ready to give up on films, when I had an accidental encounter with Rakshit. He told me that his team had been trying to reach me, but since I am not on any social media platform, they had not been able to get a hold of me and discuss the possibility of a collaboration,” says Vihan.

Soon after, Vihan got to meet Chandrajit, whose script the actor fell in love with instantaneously. “This is not a character that I have to act, but rather, need to live. It’s a beautiful story, details of which will be revealed in the days to come, along with the title, etc. At the moment, all that I can say is that I have been given a solid role, as far as performance goes. I am overwhelmed to have been picked by Rakshit for his next production venture and am immensely thankful to the team for recognizing talent,” he adds.

The film, which pairs Vihan with former TV actress Ankita Amar - who is making her film debut with RJ Mayuraa Raghavendra’s Aba Jaba Daba, opposite Pruthvi Ambaar – is set to go on floors in August. The title will be revealed at the muhurtha.