Rishab Shetty: After films with massive elevation and emotions; now it’s time to laugh with Harikathe Alla Girikathe

Over the last few weeks, Rishab Shetty has been very animatedly talking about his next release, Harikathe Alla Girikathe, at public events, so much so that people started wondering if it is his directorial as well. The film, directed by duo Karan Ananth and Anirudh Mahesh is only an acting commitment for him. But it’s a subject that Rishab can relate to, which is why he has been going to town about it.

In the film, which was completely shot in Mysuru, Rishab plays Giri, an aspiring filmmaker, with the narrative focusing on the hardships that come with the territory. In the trailer, Rishab’s character is shown as narrating a sequence of events to a police officer, none of which are true, irking the cop in the process. How much does Giri lie in the film? Rishab laughs and says, “You will have to see the film to figure that out, but what I can tell you is that his character is like what you’ve seen in the trailer. This is a film about the extends he goes to in the process of trying to make his movie. So, he’s not a typical ‘heroic’ character,” explains Rishab.

The role of Giri has a special connect to the actor-filmmaker. “I came into the industry in 2004 and assisted on a couple of projects under AMR Ramesh sir, after which there was a fairly long lull with no work. There were a lot of struggles. In this film too, Giri has a fair share of struggle in his journey to becoming a filmmaker. A lot of my personal experiences are a part of this narrative. In a sense, this film is representation of what goes on in the film industry. We have presented this through comedy. I am immensely thankful to the production house for supporting a new team and bringing this film to audiences,” said Rishab, during the film’s trailer launch.

Urging the media too to support the film, the actor-filmmaker said, “In recent times, you have seen a film with high-voltage action and massive elevation scenes, then came a film that was about emotions and left you teary-eyed. Now, our film is here to let you have fun and a good laugh. We assure you that this film will entertain you throughout its two-hour run-time.

Harikathe Alla Girikathe, produced by Sandesh Nagaraj, will be in theatres across the country on June 23.