Pushpa actor Dhananjaya on his production ventures: ‘Working with newcomers is risky, but…'

Hindustan Times

19-06-2025

Kannada actor-producer Daali Dhananjaya's last production venture, Vidyapati, starring Nagabhushana in the lead, released in theatres on April 10 and opened to fairly decent reviews. But thereafter, there was absolutely no push from the film team and it seemed almost as if they'd lost interest in it. 'People didn't turn up in theatres and I was, honestly, a tad disappointed and felt that there was no point doing anything. Once audiences decide not to come to theatres, you cannot change their minds, so I did not try anything thereafter,' he said.
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The next best move, he figured was to get the film on to OTT as soon as possible, in the hope that audiences would watch it at least then. Dhananjaya released Vidyapati on Amazon Prime Video first, and then took it to Sun NXT as well, within weeks. 'The response on OTT was, obviously, better,' says the actor, adding that like others in the industry, he too is baffled by the current slump in theatrical footfalls and unsure of a possible solution.
Vidyapati is the first time that Dhananjaya has been unable to draw crowds to theatres. 'Whether it was Badava Rascal, Head Bush or Tagaru Palya, they worked well on all platforms. With Vidyapati, I am not sure if the IPL season was the issue, or if we failed to create enough buzz around the film. I don't know what went wrong, but my biggest learning is that IPL was a major factor; people were not even discussing movies,' says the actor, hopeful that the second half of the year will be better for the Kannada film industry.
In the meantime, Dhananjaya is trying not to mull over this current situation and remains steadfast in his commitment to promoting new talent with his production house, Daali Productions. He's got not one, but two films currently in post-production, one of which, JC University, was announced, and the other, is yet to be made public knowledge.
'I am working with newcomers on both these films. If you don't have new talent emerging in the industry every now and then, eventually, the industry will die. I am trying to do my bit for the betterment of the Kannada film industry; I know it is a risk, but I am doing my best,' says Dhananjaya, adding that he will have to make calculated changes to this strategy if audiences continue to shun theatres and fail to encourage new talent.
The actor, who had his fair share of struggles in his initial years and, started to give back to the industry once he found a firm footing, adds, 'I can sit back and enjoy my life as an actor. Why do I have to go back to a phase of struggle just because I am trying to do something for the benefit of the industry? I am not looking at making profits, but if I at least recover my investment, it will give me the confidence to put that into another film.'