Bhavya B C Gowda leads suspense thriller Sundariya Suliyalli

BENGALURU: Actor Bhavya Bhuvanahalli Chandre Gowda will headline Sundariya Suliyalli, a suspense thriller directed by Manju V Raj and planned for a 2026 release. The film positions Bhavya as the main lead, with the story centered on her character and built around incremental reveals, restrained staging and performance-driven tension.

The makers describe a “pure thriller grammar” that favours tight scenes, a pared-down soundscape and close-up readability. The approach puts the onus on the lead actor to carry motive and doubt moment-to-moment rather than lean on scale. In practice, that means controlled blocking, measured silences and edits that land a beat later than expected.
The team said select overseas schedules — including the United States — are planned to serve specific plot turns. Unit notes indicate exteriors that widen the canvas while keeping the narrative contained, so the thriller stays grounded in character. Additional cast and music credits will be announced closer to release.
On television, Bhavya has paced antagonist notes across long arcs, calibrating intensity to episode rhythm and keeping characters credible over time. That skill set maps cleanly to a suspense film, where tension is often an editorial and performance decision rather than a budget line.
For Kannada audiences, Bhavya’s theatrical presence is anchored by Gaja (2008) — a hit that shaped that year’s commercial conversation. Her supporting turn drew wide appreciation and contributed to the film’s success, reinforcing on-screen timing within a star-driven setup.

She widened her profile with Ragini IPS (2014), taking on the lead female negative shade as Shamitha opposite Ragini Dwivedi’s IPS officer. Built on containment rather than volume, the portrayal was noted for sharpening the film’s conflict without caricature. The title travelled too: in November 2014, Ragini IPS screened at the International Film & Entertainment Festival of Australia (IFEFA), Sydney, where Bhavya’s performance drew appreciation in festival updates and discussions.
Those two markers — commercial familiarity from Gaja and antagonist precision from Ragini IPS, reinforced by IFEFA — explain why a performance-first thriller centred on a single POV fits now. Audiences have shown sustained interest in thrillers that keep stakes legible and motives clear.
Within the team, Sundariya Suliyalli is being positioned to let character and craft lead. The absence of loud design is intentional; in thrillers, clarity of intention and disciplined pacing tend to outlast noise.
As casting director/judge, Bhavya helped finalise the lead roles in line with the script of Jwalantham (2016). The producer credits those selections with strengthening on-screen chemistry and aiding the film’s execution.