Interview | Can Hemanth M Rao revolutionalise Kannada cinema?

The Kannada filmmaker talks about turning full-fledged producer with ‘Agnyathavasi’ and the need to support newcomers with unique stories

Hemanth M Rao is one of the poster boys of the new wave in Kannada cinema. The filmmaker, who recently made the Sapta Sagaradaache Ello(Side A and Side B) films, an intense romantic saga starring Rakshit Shetty and Rukmini Vasanth, has launched his production banner, Dakshayani Talkies.

The first film under the production house is Agnyathavasi, starring Rangayana Raghu and directed by Janardhan Chikkanna. The film is set to hit the screens on April 11, 2025. “When there is a good murder story, we want to know who did it. Agnyathavasi is set in the Malnad region. The crime thriller is a genre I love,” says Hemanth.

The director opens up on his plans as a full-fledged producer. Excerpts:

I started Lost N Found Films because I knocked on so many doors when I was making my first film, and I realised that they were not doors but only walls. It reached a point where I was like, ‘If I have to make a film, I have to find a way to fund myself. I did that with the help of friends and family. Initially, I planned to keep the name of my banner as No Bucket Productions to take a dig at the practice of sucking up to people in the industry. However, starting a new venture with frustration and anger is not correct. I named it Lost N Found because I started making a film, and it got shelved. I eventually made my first movie.

Nobody was willing to listen to my script. Their rejection had more to do with who was there in the movie than what the movie was about. It’s like judging a restaurant without tasting the food. People didn’t have the patience to listen to my story. After struggling for 8-9 years, I looked for opportunities outside Karnataka. I spent time in Mumbai, getting to know my job better. I co-wrote Andhadhun for Sriram Raghavan. I was about to pack my bags and move to Mumbai permanently, but things worked out back home.

I know people who have a great idea and are willing to work hard. I want to produce films that I resonate with. I want to back movies that I love to watch as an audience. We have a rich history of storytelling in Kannada. Terms like ‘mass‘ and ‘class‘ are given by the media. For me, any film that makes money is a ‘mass‘ film. Godhi Banna... is a mass film because it made ten times its investment. In the Kannada film industry, if a movie makes a breakthrough, it’s not taken seriously. It gets termed as a class film, and that’s not fair. A mass film or an arthouse movie, every story has an audience. The trick is to figure out what budget is required to make that movie.

I disagree. If you make a film with the right amount of sincerity, people are ready to watch it. When I watch a Malayalam film, half of the crowd in the theatre are Kannadigas. The reason why Kannadigas are watching Malayalam films is because we aren’t making good movies. If ManjummelBoys enjoys a 100-day run in Tumkur, the local population has watched the movie. We (Kannada filmmakers) must figure out what we are not doing right.