Ragini Dwivedi: We could not release Sheela simultaneously in Kannada and Malayalam due to censor issues

Ragini Dwivedi’s first release in four years is the Malayalam-Kannada bilingual thriller Sheela, which was meant to be in theatres on July 28 in both versions. However, owing to delays in the censor certification of the Kannada version, only the Malayalam film hit theatres in Kerala yesterday. The actress explained the same at the launch of the Kannada trailer of the film on Friday. The Kannada version of Sheela will now be in theatres on August 4, which, Ragini says works out well, as it gives her more time to promote it. The actress has been busy with the shoot of the Mohanlal-starrer pan-Indian film Vrushabha, which is going on in Mysuru at the moment.

Sheela, says Ragini, will be an eye-opener about the obstacles that women face in day-to-day life. The film, she adds, has several instances that women can relate to, as circumstances that they have also faced at some point in their life. The team is looking at releasing the film in about 100-120 screens across Karnataka.

Read also: Exclusive! Ragini Dwivedi is a single mother on a mission in Kannada-Malayalam bilingual Sheela

In an earlier conversation with OTTplay, Ragini had told us that as the title character Sheela, she will be seen speaking both Kannada and Malayalam, as the story unfolds across Karnataka and Kerala. A suspense-revenge thriller, Sheela follows the difficult situations that the protagonist faces after the death of her husband. “When Sheela attempts to sell some ancestral property that she inherits after the husband dies, she faces several obstacles. Whether she can overcome these hurdles forms the crux of the narrative,” Ragini had told us, adding that while the first half of the film is rosy and glamorous, the latter bit gets raw and intense.

Sheela, directed by Balu Narayan also includes Riyaz Khan, who plays a police officer, as well as Sunil Sukhada, Vincent Alappat, Pradosh Mohan, Muhammad Irfan, etc., on the cast.