PremiumExclusive! Sharan: Exorcism, as depicted in Choo Mantar, will be novel for Kannada audiences
Choo Mantar, directed by Navneeth of Karvva fame, will be more horror than comedy, and see Sharan in a different light, compared to his earlier films, says the actor
Sharan in the first poster of Choo Mantar
Last Updated: 08.20 PM, Mar 05, 2024
Who’d have thought that Kannada actor Sharan, whose made it his business to make people laugh, is a die-hard fan of horror films? Well, turns out he is and that is exactly why he was all ears when director Navneeth, who had done a horror flick called Karvva earlier, approached him with a script. “It may sound strange, but horror films are stress-busters for me. If a trailer of a horror film catches my attention, I keep a tab on its release and make sure to watch it,” says Sharan, who plays an exorcist in Navneeth’s Choo Mantar, which is set to release in theatres on April 5.
Sharan, who has not had a release since 2022’s Guru Shishyaru, will have two films in theatres in quick succession – Avatara Purusha 2 and then Choo Mantar. Navneeth’s film, which has the tagline, ‘Welcome to the world of Satan’, has Sharan as an exorcist within the Christian/Catholic faith, given that he is seen wearing a crucifix, but he is not a priest. In Hollywood films about exorcism, it is generally carried out by priest trained in the rituals. “That is the interesting element about this film. My character, who is referred to as ‘Dynamo’ is not a priest, so the questions about who he is and why he is the person for this task become relevant,” adds Sharan.
The film revolves around a young couple and their young child and the supernatural events that occur around them. “My character has to get to the bottom of why these things are happening and, hopefully, get rid of them,” says Sharan, adding, “Choo Mantar is, in a sense, not a typical Sharan movie. There are certain things that audiences expect to see in my films, especially in terms of comedy. Choo Mantar is not devoid of humour, but it is more of a horror film, with jump scares et all. In fact, if you look at my last release Guru Shishyaru, it was more of serious drama and Choo Mantar is the next step in that evolution in my filmography.”
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Choo Mantar, which also stars Meghana Gaonkar, Prabhu Mundkur, Dharma, Aditi Prabhudeva, Ranjini Bharadwaj, Chikkanna, among others. A major portion of the film was shot in snow-clad Uttarakhand, which, Sharan says will be a highlight.