Raj B Shetty on Rakkasapuradhol: It is not hyper-realistic like Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana, but…
Ahead of the February 6 release of Rakkasapuradhol, in which Raj B Shetty plays a cop, the actor urges audiences not to come with expectations about his performance.
Last Updated: 04.48 PM, Feb 05, 2026
Raj B Shetty will be seen as a police officer for the first time in his career in Rakkasapuradhol, the directorial debut of Ravi Saranga, a long-time associate of director Prem. Given Raj’s body of work, the expectation is that the film will be quite realistic, but he says that it is not the case. “There is a lot of reality in my character; he’s not a perfect police officer. He has his own demons and doesn’t take cases too seriously, until circumstances change and he has to,” he said while promoting the film on the Gold Class with Mayuraa podcast.
Why does Raj say that Rakkasapuradhol is not like GGVV?
Raj added that the film has some light-hearted moments too. “Rakkasapuradhol is definitely not as hyper-realistic as, say, Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana, but it is realistic enough to work well within the commercial cinema space,” said Raj, adding that it is the kind of decent crime thriller that the industry needs every now and then. It’s a genre that he wanted to explore, while also working with a newbie filmmaker.
Considering that Raj has had 2 recent releases and is on his 4th in a little over 6 months (Su From So, 45, Landlord and now Rakkasapuradhol), he reckons that audiences should not approach Rakkasapuradhol with preconceived notions about the kind of performance. In particular, he says that they should not expect his role to be anything like Landlord’s Sanna Dhani, which was quite a powerful and ruthless character. “Also, don’t expect it to be a big scale film. As a team, we’ve done what is required for the film, but what is most important is the story,” he says.
But why is Raj focusing on back-to-back acting gigs, given that it has been a while since he last directed (Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye)? These films, he says, should not have come out back-to-back. In fact, the actor says that among all of his recent Kannada films, the newest of the lot is Su From So. “That’s the last Kannada cinema I shot for. Everything else started before that; 45 took 3-4 years, Landlord nearly 2 and a half years, while Rakkasapuradhol was close to two years in the making. They all lined up for release in such quick succession. Ideally, it should have been 2 a year, but when that did not pan out, it feels like I am suddenly doing a lot of work,” he told Metrosaga.
Rakkasapuradhol FAQs
Q. Where to watch Rakkasapuradhol?
A. Rakkasapuradhol will release in theatres on February 6, 2026
Q. What is Rakkasapuradhol about?
A. Rakkasapuradhol is a mystery thriller about a murder case, that the towns folk believe is the work of the Kolli Deva. Is there a supernatural element to this killing?