Nodi Swamy Ivanu Irode Heege teaser: Rishi’s dark comedy puts the spotlight on mental health and suicide

Operation Alamelamma and Kavaludaari actor Rishi is Tollywood bound with his next, the dark comedy Nodi Swamy Ivanu Irode Heege (NSIIH). The film, a Kannada-Telugu bilingual, has been directed by Islahuddin NS, and pairs Rishi with his Sarvajanikarige Suvarnavakaasha co-star Dhanya Balakrishna yet again. The title of the film has been inspired by a Shankar Nag movie, Nodi Swamy Naavirodu Heege. 

The narrative of the film follows a simple line – to not give up on life. And yet, the teaser of NSIIH, which dropped over the weekend, shows Rishi, as Sai, attempting to commit suicide following love failure. According to Islahuddin, the adventures Sai goes through in his attempts to end his life forms the humorous situations in the film. Rishi has been quoted as saying that even though NSIIH is a comedy, it explores serious topics such as heartbreak, depression, and suicide without making a caricature of any of them. “It is the story of Sai Kumar, a victim of his own imagination. Post breaking up with his girlfriend, his life goes downhill, causing him depression,” he told a media outlet.

Produced by Amrej Suryavanshi, who had earlier produced Rishi’s debut film Operation Alamelamma, the film will be dubbed and released as Vaddura Sodharaa in Telugu. Meanwhile Rishi, who was last seen in a cameo in Manu Ravichandran’s Mugilpete, has done yet another guest role in the upcoming Alle Draw Alle Bahumaana, a satire on the happenings in the world. But more than the fact that he’s done a cameo in a song, it is the role itself that has people intrigued. Rishi plays an Aghori in the special number of Alle Draw Alle Bahumaana, choreographed by Imran Sardhariya. Interestingly, the song that Rishi features in has been sung by actor Upendra.