Pramod Shetty on Rakshit Shetty’s Richard Anthony: ‘Shoot will start….’

In July 2021 is when actor-filmmaker Rakshit Shetty announced that he would return to direction with a film called Richard Anthony, a prequel to the events of his directorial debut, Ulidavaru Kandanthe, focusing on his character. Rakshit has been working on the script of the film for a while, and had once told OTTPlay that he wanted to have the film in theatres in 2025.

Well, that, of course, is not on the cards, given that he’s yet to start filming. It’s been a while since Rakshit has provided an update on Richard Anthony, so the next best bet is to ask Pramod Shetty, who will reprise his character Dinesha from Ulidavaru Kandanthe, and, who, as it turns out, has a film releasing on February 28, for which he has been doing promotions.

Also read: Exclusive! Rakshit Shetty reveals when to expect his next directorial, Richard Anthony 

Richard Anthony to go on floors in second half of 2025

When asked about what’s happening with Richard Anthony, Pramod said that Rakshit is currently in the US, working on what will, hopefully, be the final draft of the film. Rakshit has done a few such trips in the last year and half, to seclude himself and put all his thoughts about the film on paper. The actor-filmmaker is expected to return shortly, after which pre-production will begin. Pramod reckons that in the next 4-5 months, Rakshit will be ready to go on floors with the film.

By that calculation, if Richard Anthony begins only in the second half of 2025, as per Rakshit’s estimate that he will need at least a year and a half to make the film, 2027 is when it will likely be in theatres, a good 3-3.5 years after his last release, Sapta Sagaradaache Ello. Following Richard Anthony, the plan is for Rakshit to then helm the two-part Punyakoti, a subject he’s been holding close to his heart for a while.

Also read: Laughing Buddha’s Pramod Shetty says that Rishab and Rakshit Shetty did not believe he could get in shape for Richard Anthony 

Mid-way to Moksha, a film that will have all the three Shettys – Rakshit, Rishab and Raj - is also a directorial he wants to get to, while Kirik Party 2 will still be his production, but will be helmed by a new team, with new actors too.

Ulidavaru Kandanthe, which is the basis for Richard Anthony, is available to stream on Sun NXT and OTTPlay Premium.