Actors Nagabhushana and Priyanka Thimmesh are coming together for the maiden time for a family drama titled ‘Made in China’. Directed by Preetham Thegginamane, the project comes about as Kannada cinema’s first-ever virtual film wherein the characters interact with one another only through digital devices such as mobile phones, laptops, etc. in the narrative. ‘Made in China’, as revealed by the team, is now all set to hit the big screens on the 11th of March.
Speaking about the novel attempt, director Preetham Thegginamane shares: “The idea began as an 8-10 minute long short film for YouTube during the second lockdown but as my co-writer and I began riffing, we soon realized that it has the potential to be a full-length feature. Of course, since we wanted to make a virtual film, we were aware of the niche it creates but when the idea was pitched to the producers (Crystal Paark Cinemas), they came on board immediately and before we realized it, the film got made!”. Preetham Thegginamane, who has previously worked as a cinematographer on ‘Ayogya’ with the same makers, has donned multiple hats for ‘Made in China’ to head the VFX, editing, and cinematography departments along with direction.
The upcoming few weeks, however, are going to be some of the busiest of recent times with a multitude of releases in store. Amid the mighty films like ‘James’, ‘RRR’, ‘K.G.F: Chapter 2’ and others, ‘Made in China’ may feature as the dark horse but the team is firm in its belief in the story and the novelty in its execution.
“The Malayalam film ‘C U Soon’ may serve as a major reference to the Kannada audiences but our attempt is quite different in that regard, albeit being a film of the same genre. The story follows Nagabhushana’s character who is stranded in China while on a business trip (during the first breakout of the coronavirus in 2020) and his wife back home, played by Priyanka Thimmesh, is pregnant with their child and it’s about how they deal with this tricky situation over their digital communication. While it is a virtual film, there is a strong family drama unfolding throughout with Aruna Balraj and Ravi Bhat playing Nagabhushana’s parents – so unlike other virtual films, we have a number of characters coming in and out of the frame,” adds Preetham.
