Smile: Dia fame Dheekshith Shetty’s short film is about doing small things to bring a smile to the faces of those around you

When the teaser of Dia star Dheekshith Shetty’s short film Smile came out, the first thought that arose is – ‘Is he in a bike accident yet again, just like Dia?’ Turns out, it is not at all like the actor’s breakout role. Smile, which premiered on PRK Audio’s Youtube channel earlier today, is a simple tale about looking around and helping those in need.

The film, directed by Nihal Sringeri, also starring Harshitha, reinforces that it’s the little joys we bring to those around us that go a long way in bringing about a change. It’s about bringing a smile to the face of a stranger without expecting anything in return. “Love every day, everyone, everything; it reflects back on you,” says Dheekshith’s character at one point. Written by Nihal, who also fills in as lyricist, Smile has music by Rosh-Roopesh.

On the film front, meanwhile, Dheekshith has an exciting bouquet of projects in hand. For starters, there are the Kannada films Sheegrameva Praptirastu and KTM, as well as the sci-fi flick Blink that revolves around a theatres troupe. Blink, Dheekshith says, is an interesting subject that will be novel for Kannada audiences. The film also stars Chaitra Achar, Mandara and Gopalkrishna Deshpande. The actor is also a part of Telugu star Nani’s much-anticipated Dasara, as well as Meet Cute, which will, in all likelihood, be a direct-to-OTT release. Dasara is a big-ticket outing for Dheekshith, and has him share screen space with Nani, Keerthy Suresh, Samuthirakani and Saikumar, among others. The role, he says, was initially meant for Malayalam actor Roshan Matthew, but he had scheduling issues and could not accommodate dates. Dheekshith, who was working on Meet Cute, which is directed by Nani’s sister, was then referred for the role. The actor is now looking forward to the release of KTM, in which he sports multiple looks, as well as Sheegrameva Praptirastu and Blink.