Su From So’s Raj B Shetty: I say no to most of the big projects coming my way

Raj B Shetty has done characters with grey shades and full-on antagonist roles too, both in Kannada and Malayalam, and has had offers from the Telugu industry too. But Raj has not committed to any yet, because these offers are from big-budget films featuring A-list heroes, which demand massive commitments of time. This, says Raj, is not a luxury he has now, as he wears multiple hats, as far as filmmaking goes.

Raj B Shetty not interested to do 'patchwork' in big cinema

“Getting committed to bigger projects is a headache for me. I need to write, direct, produce and supervise my team working under my banner. Amid all this, if I get stuck in a project, which, say, requires 50 days, but spread over 8 months, then you don’t have peace at all. They’ll only call you for 3 days at a time, which doesn’t give any artistic satisfaction, because you are literally doing patch work. That is the reason that I say no to most of the big projects coming my way,” Raj said during a conversation with aspiring filmmakers.

Raj adds that the moment an antagonist role comes to him, he tends to feel a tad lethargic, because there is no cinematic kick in it. People, he says, may come to theatres and whistle for some moments, but what else is there in it? “If there is a role that is original and true, even that of an antagonist, and it stirs something in me, or I feel that I don’t know how to do it, I would attempt it”, he added.

Also read: Raj B Shetty on Su From So: I did not want to promote the film based on my presence in it 

Raj, who produced the Kannada hit comedy Su From So, which is currently the highest grossing film of Sandalwood in 2025, and has made over Rs 115 crore world-wide so far, has a few Kannada movies lined up as acting commitments. There’s 45, the directorial debut of composer Raj B Shetty, in which he is one of the leads along with Shivarajkumar and Upendra. In Jadeshaa K Hampi’s Landlord, Raj is antagonist to leading man Duniya Vijay, while his role in Prajwal Devaraj’s Karavalli has not been defined yet.