From 'Kirik Party' to 'Sapta Sagaradaache Ello', a look at how Rakshit Shetty has boosted Kannada cinema with his work

Rakshit Shetty

Rakshit Shetty is an actor writer and producer who predominantly works in Kannada cinema. Over the years, his work has helped boost the reputation of the Kannada film industry as a whole apart from the contribution of the likes of Raj Shetty, Rishbah Shetty, Yahs, Prashant neel among others Rakshit has associated himself with film that deeply connect with the audience and his recent films have been a testament to the same.

As Rakshit Shetty turns a year older we look at some of his path-breaking films that must be on your watch flist especially if you are newly introduced to Kannada cinema.

Rakshit Shetty made his film debut in the year 2010 with the film 'Namm Areal On Dina' and got his breakthrough in the cult Blockbuster 'Ulidavaru Kandanthe' (2014).

Godhi Banna Sadhaan Mykattu:

Directed by debutant Hemanth Rao, the film stars Anant Nag and Rakshi Shetty in the lead roles with Achyuth Kumar, Sruthi Hariharan, Vasishta N. Simha and Ravikiran portraying supporting roles.[4] The movie was a commercial success at the box office. The film revolves around Venkob Rao, a middle-aged man who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, going missing. His son Shiva who is worried by his father's disappearance embarks on a search with a female doctor. Venkob becomes entangled with a killer. The rest of the film involves whether Shiva finds his father or not.

Kirik Party (2016):

This is a rom-com that was directed by Rishabh Shetty of 'Kantara' fame. It stars Rakshit Shetty, Rashmika Mandanna, Samyuktha Hegde, Achyuth Kumar, Aravinnd Iyer, Dhananjay Ranjan, Chandan Achar and Pramod Shetty play prominent roles. Rakshit Shetty wrote the story and co-wrote the script with a team called "The Seven Odds", which consisted of Rakshit Shetty, Rishab Shetty, Abhijith Mahesh, Dhananjay Ranjan, Kiranraj K, Chandrajith Belliappa.

The film follows the story of a gang of mischievous students, lead by the protagonist Karna (Rakshit Shetty), who has just joined an engineering college.

Sapta Sagaradaache Ello: Side A and Side B

Made in two parts, the film narrates the story of Manu and Priya who hail from a middle-class background and fall in love. When circumstances land Manu in jail, his relationship with Priya is put in jeopardy. The film not only stars Rakshit in the lead but is also backed by him.

777 Charlie:

It stars 'Charlie', a Labrador dog in the title role, and Rakshit Shetty alongside Sangeetha Sringeri, Raj B. Shetty, Danish Sait, Bobby Simha and Aniruddh Roy. The film follows the journey and bonding between a lonely factory worker and a stray Labrador dog.

The film opened to glowing reviews from critics for its emotional depth and the audiences too felt the same and it was reflected at the box office. The film also won the National Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada in 2021.

The demand for Labradors was reported to have increased after the release of the film. However, experts and activists were of the view that pets should not be brought home on the basis of short term plan based on temporary flow of emotions since it would lead to sudden spike in their demand leading to unethical breeding which ironically was spoken against in the movie.

Ulidavaru Kandanthe:

This 2014 film marked Rakshit's debut as a director. Shetty appears in the lead role, along with Kishore, Tara, Achyuth Kumar, Rishab Shetty, and Yagna Shetty playing supporting roles. The film revolves around five stories connected to an incident of a person's murder, with each character narrating it in his own perspective. The movie was praised for its regional authenticity in depicting Tulu Nadu and its people. It has gained a cult following, soon established as a cult classic in Kannada Film Culture, and became a part of the modern Kannada New Generation Cinema Age kick-started by Lucia (2013).