Vidyapati: Dhananjaya’s cameo was initially not meant to be revealed in the trailer

When the trailer of the upcoming Kannada comedy Vidyapati came out, besides the hint at the story, what also surprised audiences was the cameo by none other than actor-producer Daali Dhananjaya. The actor will be seen as a rather eccentric character called Anaconda, who will also pack in a mean punch, if the visuals from the trailer are anything to go by. The initial plan, though, was not to reveal his presence in the film, says leading man Nagabhushana.

Making Dhananjaya the big draw of Vidyapati

“When the trailer was being cut, director duo Eshaam and Haseen wanted to have one shot of Dhananjaya twirling someone around and then smashing him into the ground and leave it at that. The distribution team, though, was not keen, and thought it would be wise to leave it as a surprise element for audiences to experience in theatres. But given that these are times when Kannada audiences are not coming to theatres, the makers felt it would be best to give them something to look forward to in the trailer and then expect them in movie halls on April 10,” said Nagabhushana in a recent interview with Kannada Pichhar.

Also read: Must-watch movies featuring Natarakshasa Daali Dhananjaya 

Nagabhushana adds that Dhananjaya being a part of the film was a smart move by the director duo, who, during the story narration, told him about the character, which intrigued the latter. When Dhananjaya pressed on for further details about the role, and how the filmmakers envisioned him, they whipped up an AI-generated image, seeing which, the actor wondered if he would be a good fit to play the character. “Interestingly enough, Eshaam and Haseen had used a reference image of Dhananjaya to create the AI version of the character, which is what convinced him to take it up,” explains Nagabhushana.

Having his good pal and producer on board the film also takes off some of the weight off Nagabhushana’s shoulder. While the onus of bringing people to theatres rested squarely on him during the release of Tagarupalya, this time, Nagabhushana believes that it will be a three-way split, with audiences either coming for Dhananjaya, heroine Malaika Vasupal (of Upadhyaksha fame), or for him. That, he reckons, is a big relief for him, considering that Dhananjaya has invested a substantial amount on the film.

Vidyapati is Dhananjaya's fourth production venture, after Badava Rascal, Head Bush and Tagaru Palya. While the first two had Dhananjaya in the lead, Tagaru Palya was a Nagabhushana vehicle. 

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