Earlier this year, when Challenging Star Darshan’s Kranti came to theatres, the buzz in industry circles was that the Kannada superstar was looking at reuniting with the team as soon as he’d be done with his next, Kaatera, directed by Tharun Sudhir. Although team Kranti claimed that it was a major success, fans and trade experts didn’t quite agree, with the former urging the star not to collaborate with V Harikrishna and Shylaja Nag, unless the script was phenomenal. There was no immediate response from Darshan, so, it was thought that #D57 and #D58 were most likely with Harikrishna and Tharun again.
But it looks like Darshan has paid heed to what his fans and followers have been saying. The star is set to work with two filmmakers he’s done films with before – Milana Prakash and now, Prem too, with is a stark departure from what was thought to be his upcoming filmography.
Meanwhile, Kaatera, we are told is being prepped for a year-end release, giving the star second film for the year. Produced by Rockline Venkatesh, the film is the launchpad of veteran actress Malashree Ramu’s daughter, who had first taken up the screen name Radhana and now goes by Araadhana. A story set in the 70s based on real events, Kaatera, we are told is about issues plaguing the farmer community. Incidentally, a week ago Naveen Shankar’s Kshetrapathi, which was about the agrarian crisis in north Karnataka, released in theatres, but failed to set the box office on fire, despite large-scale on-ground promotions by the team.
