JOIN USLineage gave a head start to Kannada actor Sumanth Shailendra. Hailing from a family of producers, Sumanth always knew what went into direction, acting and was sound with the technical side of film-making by the time he was in his teens.
Sumanth has also ventured into production with his father in a big way. His latest production ‘Bhale Jodi’ (meaning perfect pair), has him in the lead role with three actresses — Hariprriya, Shanvi Srivastava and Harshika Poonacha.
“It’s a love story and I play the character of a young man who is confused about who he is in love with. He dates all the three women but has a tough time choosing the right one. It’s a very new-age subject and I am sure a lot of young people will connect with the storyline,” explains Sumanth.
He says that it is the script that clinched the deal. “The subject is quite different from what we regularly see in the theatres. It reflects a lot of what is happening with today’s generation and in colleges as well,” he adds. There are five songs in the film and one of them was shot in Bangkok. “We scouted a few locations for the song and found the perfect one about five hours away from where we were staying. We would have to wake up at 3 am and leave the hotel at 5 am to reach the location at 9 am. We would spend almost the whole day shooting only to return at 10 pm. It was a rigorous 12 hour shoot and we had to work in extreme weather conditions,” says Sumanth.
The movie ‘Bhale Jodi’ is directed by Sadu Kokila, who has also composed the music. “Sadu sir is a multi-talented person and working with him was a great learning experience,” explains Sumanth. He adds that the audio of the movie has already started raking in positive reviews on social networking sites. Sumanth states that actress Hariprriya has been roped in to do an special song.
“The song is conceptualised for a club scene and has been shot rather stylishly with a lot of special effects,” he adds. In another project titled ‘Cherry’, Sumanth plays the role of a racer who is averse to love and believes that the answer to a stable marriage lies in an arranged alliance.
“But things gradually change and he starts believing that true love really exists,” he concludes.