Upendra: The three stars of Kabzaa are not Sudeep, Shivanna and I; it’s the DOP, art director and music composer

In just over a week, the next big pan-India film from Kannada cinema, Kabzaa, will be in theatres. Much has been said and written about the R Chandru directorial - which is a gangster tale with Real Star Upendra in the lead - especially about the lack of buzz surrounding the film and the team’s tepid response to promotions.

In the last couple of days, Upendra has been doing the mandatory Kannada TV interviews and today, the team is in Mumbai, to address the media there, so, it looks like Chandru and co are now looking at picking up the pace of promotions.

For a while now, especially after the film’s trailer came out, there’s been a lot of discussion about its ensemble cast, with Kannada film fans mightily kicked about the fact that three superstars are in it together – namely, Upendra, Sudeep and Shivarajkumar. And while it is not known yet if all three will share screen space together, their collaboration is, no doubt, one of the biggest highlights of the film.

When Upendra was asked about this recently by a Kannada television channel, the Real Star brushed it away and said that the three stars of Kabzaa were not Sudeep, Shivarajkumar and him. According to Upendra, that credit goes to art director Shivakumar, cinematographer AJ Shetty and composer Ravi Basrur. Together, the three of them have created a visual and audio magic that will transport audiences to another world, he says. The actor added that the trio have made Kabzaa not just an experience for the big screen, but one that will leave a lasting impact on audiences.

Kabzaa, produced by R Chandru’s Sri Siddeshwara Enterprises and co-produced by Alankar Pandian’s Invenio Origin, will be distributed by Anand Pandit in the north Indian belt (Hindi version), actor Nithiin in Telangana/Andhra Pradesh, Lyca Productions and Red Giant in Tamil Nadu, LGF Films in Kerala.