Kannada film ‘Sarkari’ comes with a message

Anant Nag in ‘Sarkari’. Kannada director Rishab Shetty, of Kirk Party fame, explores a different genre with his new film, Sarkari. Hi. Pra. Kasaragodu, Shale Koduge : Ramanna Rai (Government High Education School, Kasaragodu: Ramanna Rai).

Set in Kasargod, along the Kerala-Karnataka border, this story is pivoted around school children and how they react when they hear that their school is to be closed. “The inspiration for this came when I heard about a Kannada school being closed for different reasons,” said Shetty who always wanted to do a children’s film.

Writing the script took him to his childhood days and his memories helped him build some of the characters of the film. For the casting, children from Kasargod were auditioned. They were trained over a 45-day workshop.

Veteran actor Anant Nag plays Anantha Padmanabha, a teacher and a self-proclaimed social activist. “His character is a funny and jolly man. He fights for the school. I wrote this role especially for him,” said Shetty, who considers working with Ananth Nag similar to studying in a university.