LIVING LARGE
Just four years after making it in Kannada cinema—aka Sandalwood—Yash is looking to woo audiences across the country and around the world with the big-budget period piece KGF.
Unusually for a Kannada film, KGF (which stands for Kolar Gold Fields) has a scale and budget to match the Telugu and Tamil film industries. Directed by Prashanth Neel and set in the 1970s, it tells the story of Rocky as he makes his way from the streets of Mumbai to Kolar.
Known for Kannada hits like Mr and Mrs Ramachari (2014), Yash is revelling in the moment and basking in the new level of fame following the release of the KGF trailer in five languages (Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam). He also remains loyal to the movie business. “No (film) industry is big or small,” he said. “While budgets
may differ, film industries are known for the films.”
With grand sets and a sequel already in the making, KGF is drawing comparisons with Baahubali. But Yash notes there are key differences in themes and treatment.
“The two films are very different and it will be a different cinematic experience. KGF uses minimal VFX and has tried to create the scale of it naturally. It is a period film after all,” he says. “However, it was the success of Baahubali that gave us the confidence to dub the film in other languages.”
It was the budget and scale that made headlines with the release of the trailer on November 26. But Yash says he approached the project like a normal ‘Sandalwood’ project. “That (budget) didn’t change much for me as an actor. But I do hope it will motivate others in Kannada cinema to dream big,” he says. “As for the preparation, it didn’t require me to look too chiselled, but portray a common man, his struggle and ambition,” he adds. That drive is something with which Yash himself is familiar. Born Naveen Kumar Gowda in Mysore, he scrambled for roles in theatre production and TV shows before he bagged his first film project. “I identified with the role of struggling Rocky in that sense,” he says.
A sequel is under production and the response to the first part will determine its magnitude. “The script has the potential to be scaled up and the response to the trailer is already having an impact on it,” he says.
Slated for a December 21 release, the AA films and Excel Entertainment collaboration also has Srinidhi Shetty, Ananth Nag and Ramya Krishnan as part of the main cast.