Exclusive! Ombatthane Dikku's USP is its non-linear narrative and intense story: Dayal Padmanabhan

When we called Dayal Padmanabhan, he was bang in the middle of a meeting to discuss the release plans of his next project in Kannada, Ombatthane Dikku, a film that he has directed and produced. “Yes, I am looking at releasing Ombatthane Dikku sometime soon, hopefully in late November, or early December,” says the filmmaker.

Ombatthane Dikku, he adds, is a film that has Yogi and Aditi Prabhudeva in the lead. This will be the filmmaker’s second collaboration with Aditi after Ranganayaki. “This is a fantastic crime thriller, narrated in non-linear manner, based on an adapted screenplay that I got the rights for. There is an emotional family element in the tale, as well as a totally unexpected climax. It’s quite an unpredictable story, in which a bag becomes more important to the narrative than the hero himself. I would sum up Ombatthane Dikku as a suspense thriller that will appeal to family audiences, as there is no bloodshed, violence or sex,” says Dayal, adding, “This is not to say it is not for mass audiences. I think it is a film that is balanced for both single-screen and multiplex crowds.”

Ombatthane Dikku also stars Sampath Kumar, Sai Kumar, Ashok, Ramesh Bhat, Prashant Siddhi, late Rockline Sudhakar. Dayal has associated with filmmaker Guru Deshpande for the film, with the latter bagging the satellite, digital and Hindi dubbing rights.

Dayal, who used to move from one movie set to another pre-pandemic, has slowed his roll, but tells us that talks are on for another Telugu directorial. “After I did the Telugu remake of Aa Karaala Ratri, called Anaganaga O Athidhi, there’s been a decent response to me from that industry. So, I am currently putting my focus on that market and should be able to kickstart a new film after Deepavali. There are also talks to remake Ranganayaki: Vol 1. I am yet to figure out my next move,” he says.

So, is Kannada on the backburner now? “No, in fact, I have a story for Ranganayaki: Vol 2. Ranganayaki was always meant to be a series of films. While the first part was about virginity, the next will explore whether killing someone emotionally or physically is worse. I have taken inspiration from the real-life story of Indrani Mukerjea and my interpretation of how she gave the order to get rid of her daughter Sheena. This will be a story that explores how and why a mother would decide to kill her daughter,” he says.