Nagabhushana: Vidyapati is a family entertainer that should work for audiences

In only a few hours, it’s the moment of reckoning for the team of Daali Dhananjaya’s home production, Vidyapati. The film is one of three Kannada movies joining the Vishu/Baisakhi crowd at the box office, which includes the likes of Ajith’s Good Bad Ugly, Mammootty’s Bazooka, Basil Joseph’s Maranamass, Premalu star Naslen’s Alappuzha Gymkhana, among others. The hustle and bustle at the box office apart, the worrying bit has been that audiences have not been making a beeline for smaller films, especially in Kannada.

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Nagabhushana is nervous; here's why...

Having seen the film, a comedy drama directed by Ikkat makers Esham and Haseen, Nagabhushana is confident that it is the kind of content that will appeal to family audiences, especially those who are looking for something to engage and entertain their children for a few hours during the summer holidays. The current scenario in the industry, though, has him on the tenterhooks, but he remains optimistic; the same feeling he had after watching Badava Rascal and Tagaru Palya, both of which struck a chord with audiences.

The film is Tagaru-fame Daali Dhananjaya’s latest production and this time around, he is shouldering some of the responsibility of the film, by doing a pivotal character as well. He will be seen as a martial arts fighter called Anaconda, who will be instrumental in helping Nagabhushana’s character navigate through his conflict with Jaggu (Garuda Ram). The last time Dhananjaya acted in a home production was in Head Bush, in which he played gangster MP Jayaraj.

Nagabhushana is paired with Hitler Kalyana fame Malaika Vasupal, who made her film debut with last year’s Upadhyaksha. During the promotions of Vidyapati, the actress had spoken about the trolling she was subjected to for debuting opposite Chikkanna, which affected her initially. But she then decided to stick by her initial decision to do the film, as she liked the story. The film went on to be a commercial success.