Exclusive | Team Ashoka Blade eyeing January 2024 release for Part One

Sathish Ninasam might have been away from the limelight for some time now but it would seem that his absence is a result of an important pursuit. His most recent release came in 2022 in the form of Petromax and since then, the actor has been busy with multiple projects, including Ashoka Blade, a big-budget commercial entertainer that he also co-producing.

Sathish plays the title character in the film which is based on real-life incidents that occurred in the Chamarajanagar, Mysuru and Nanjanagudu area back in the 1970s. Citing the promise and the scope of the story, which has been penned by T.K. Dayanand, the makers of Ashoka Blade are currently in the process of recalibrating their vision for the project. It emerged very recently that the film will be made and released in two parts so as to accommodate a story that spans several decades, possibly bleeding into the future as well.

"Making a two-part film out of it wasn't on our minds when we started out but it occurred to us along the way that story has a lot of scope to be expanded. So, what you will see in the first part will trace the events of the past (the '70s and onwards) which shall gradually lead us into the present, with the getup of mine and a few other characters evolving over time. But instead of closing the story at this point, we realized that there is potential to take it forward and explore the characters a little more. The second part, in that sense, will be about this new addition. You will see new characters joining the mix," shares Sathish Ninasam in a conversation with OTTplay.

When quizzed about the release date of these two films, he says, "We are currently done with about 65% of the first part and the edit is on in parallel. But we have voluntarily chosen to take a break so as to reset our vision for the film and take it to the next level in terms of scale. As many as 7-8 writers are working on the film at the moment and we will go back on floors very soon. It's been an exciting journey so far, quite problem-free because I have got a great team, in which we have spent time executing things the right way. Since we are planning to release the film in three different languages, the look, the feel and other aspects have to be carefully planned out."

"We have January and February of 2024 in sight for the release of part one of Ashoka Blade. Part 2 will take off only once we are through with the release of the first part," he adds.

The reason to get started on Part 2 after the completion of Part 1, Sathish says, is to ensure that there is enough time for him to get into a newer look and also allow the first part to make the right 'noise'.

Kavya Shetty stars in another important role in Ashoka Blade, which is being directed by Vinod V Dhondalay. She plays the role of a police officer with two distinct looks in the film.