Director Guru Shankar and actor Daali Dhananjaya have been friends for over a decade. They have experienced the ups and downs in the industry together. Their passion to project authentic Kannada flavour on screen led to the making of Badava Rascal .
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The film, which was released in theatres in November 2021, will be streaming on Voot Select from January 26, 2022. Badava Rascal, also stars Amrutha Iyengar, Rangayana Raghum Nagabhushan and Tara. Vasuki Vaibhav composed the music while Preetha Jayaraman was the cinematographer. The film is special to both Dhananjaya and Guru Shankar as it is the former’s debut as a producer and the latter’s as a director. Excerpts from an interview with the director:
Tell us about the title, Badava Rascal
The story is about a middle-class boy. We wanted to bring to screen the actual happenings in a typical Kannada middle class family. ‘Badava Rascal’ is a common profanity in Kannada. Dhananjaya’s father, who is a teacher, used this term often to reprimand his son. Shivanna (Shivaraj Kumar) shared that while Annavaru (the late Dr Raj Kumar ) hardly ever scolded anyone, on the rare occasions when did, these were the two words that would he would normally use! It is colloquialism used both in affection and anger. Hence, we felt it was apt to use as a title. It also blended well with the storyline.
When we went to register the title, we discovered that Yograj Bhat also had registered the same title. When we requested a him to let go of the rights to the title, he graciously transferred his rights to us. That is how Badava Rascal came into being.
Did you have Dhananjaya in mind when you wrote the script?
Yes. Right from the first word I wrote on paper, I had him in my mind. I love his personality and as a director I had a few thoughts of what my hero should look like on screen and Dhananjaya fit the bill to the T. He also has the boy-next-door appeal and great comic timing.
I have followed his journey from his debut film, Director’s Special and Jesse to Tagaru . He has been depicted mostly as an angry or a serious man. We wanted to show his funny side.
How was the experience of working with Preetha Jayaraman as your cinematographer?
Dhananjaya introduced me to Preetha. She is from Mani Ratnam’s team and is a brilliant cinematographer. She did not give us the impression of being a woman in a man’s world. Though we could not afford her fee, she volunteered to be a part of the film. She told us to put money matters behind us and focus on making the film. She worked on the film more as a friend and I am grateful to her for this.
What is your opinion about the OTT release?
It is a great relief. The producer will get his money back. It is also a blessing for fans across the globe to be able catch the film in Kannada.
What next?
We are releasing Badava Rascal in Tamil and Telugu. The work is on. There are a few new projects, which are still in a discussion stage.
