'Banaras' will be a poignant love story, says Kannada director Jayathirtha

The film also marks the debut of Zaid Khan, who will sharing the screen with Tulu actor Sonal Monterio

Kannada film director, Jayathirtha BV, known for hit films like Beautiful Manasugalu (featuring Shruti Hariharan and Neenasam Satish) and Bell Bottom (Rishabh Shetty), is all set to release his next film.

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Banaras , the film, says the director, “is a poignant love story set in the back drop of Kashi”. The film also marks the debut of Zaid Khan, who will sharing the screen with Tulu actor Sonal Monterio.

“Though it is a love story, we have a very different take. It is deep rooted in philosophy and the story takes a profound look at people and relationships in the backdrop of Kashi.”

Why did he choose the title ‘Banaras’? He responds, “I was there when I made my first film,

Olave Mandara and was bowled over by the sights and sounds it offered, and the deep-rooted culture that it stands for. I immediately knew that I wanted to make a film using it as a backdrop.”

It has been reportedly shot in all the 64 ghats in Varanasi, but the director says, “that will be something you will have to wait and watch.” Jayathirtha, who has directed many street and stage plays, was also instrumental in directing and scripting a radio show for children called Chukki Chinna-Chinnara Chukki.

The film has been shot extensively in Banaras, with a few portions canned in Bengaluru as well. Currently, it is in the post production stage. Banaras has music by Ajaneesh and cinematography by Advaitha Gurumurthy.

Besides this, Jayathirtha is also a part of a Kannada anthology, in which he has teamed up with directors like Yograj Bhat, Pawan Kumar, Shashank and KM Chaitanya.