Exclusive! The plot of my film is about young farmers not getting brides: Hemanth Hegde

Last weekend, filmmaker-actor Hemanth Hegde announced his next film, Nam Naani Maduve Prasanga. The muhurtha was graced by veteran TN Seetharam, who also sounded the first clap. The film, says Hemanth, is based on a subject that struck him in his own family. “Initially, I thought that Nam Naani Maduve Prasanga would be a subject relevant only to some parts of Karnataka, but over time I realized that it will resonate across the state. At its core, the film is about the fact that young men who pursue agriculture as a livelihood in village, struggle to find brides. Girls just don’t want to marry and move to a village. They’d rather marry a cab driver and head to the city. Urban people may say that farming/agriculture is the backbone of the economy. But in reality, farmers get absolutely no respect. I saw this first-hand back in my hometown Sirsi, where a cousin who’s into agriculture, remained unmarried till he was about 36-37 years old. This got me thinking and I wanted to present it in my trademark humorous style,” explains Hemanth.

The filmmaker adds that even girls born into farmers’ households up and leave when the opportunity presents. “Today, if you visit any village in the Malnad area, you may think it is an old-age ashram. All the youngsters have migrated to cities in the hope of a ‘better’ life,” he says. Nam Naani Maduve Prasanga, says Hemanth, will delve into all of this, when it goes on floors on January 15 for a start-to-finish 30-day schedule near Sirsi. The film will have three heroines, two of who – Shruthi Nandeesh and Shreya Vasanth – are onboard already. “I am trying to rope in Lopamudra Raut as well, given that our Bollywood venture was, unfortunately shelved. She will, most probably, be a part of the film, else we will cast someone else for the role. The film will also have Sharath Lohithashwa, Padmaja Rao, Sujay Shastry, Rajesh Nataranga, Kuri Pratap and PD Sathish Chandra, among others,” says Hemanth.