Raj B Shetty: Toby will be released as a Kannada film, but if it becomes a hit, we will take it everywhere

Raj B Shetty is one among the few filmmakers from Sandalwood, who have been hailed for championing the cause of rooted story-telling. The films he makes or writes are normally set in his hometown or its surroundings – places that he’s familiar with. His upcoming film Toby is no different in that aspect, he says, adding that it is set in Kumta. The film, which Raj has described as a revenge drama is releasing in theatres on August 25, for which the team has already begun promotions. Their first public event, though, was a part of the first-look reveal on June 29 at a mall in Bengaluru.

Will Raj B Shetty spring a surprise and make Toby a pan-India film after all?

Speaking to the media during the event, Raj was asked about the possibility of releasing Toby in other languages, given that his films Ondu Motteya Kathe and Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana had evoked interest from other markets too. While Ondu Motteya Kathe was remade in Hindi and Malayalam, with Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana, Raj insisted on retaining it in Kannada with English subtitles only even when it eventually dropped on OTT. Will that change this time around?

“Toby is a Kannada film and our hope is to reach maximum audiences in its original version. However, if the film is a big hit and we get the opportunity to make money elsewhere, we will most definitely release it in other markets too,” Raj clarified. Considering that Toby also has a lot of violence, the natural question is whether it is going to be like Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana. “Oh no, Toby and Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana are vastly different films. With Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana, the intention was to present a class film with mass elements, without elevations, punch lines, and other elements widely attributed to mass cinema. Toby is high on content, and yet, it has all the elements that would be required to create the right elevations for a theatrical experience,” said Raj.