Keep guessing till the end

The character Jarasandha is a demon in the Mahabharata. It is said that Jarasandha is immortal. Shashank has cashed in on this and drawn a parallel between the character Jarasandha and the underworld.

“I can’t give away too much about the film but all I can say is that I have used the character Jarasandha to portray something that’s happening in our society.

Corruption, rowdyism and bloodshed are deep-rooted problems and it is almost impossible to weed them out. This is the crux of the story,” Shashank, the director tells Metrolife.

Duniya Vijay plays the role of a body builder and actress Pranitha essays the role of a model in the film.

“The best part about the film is that the viewer will not know who the real Jarasandha is until the end. The film is woven around an incident of crime that takes place. There’s love, action and drama — all woven into one to give the viewer plenty of edge of the seat moments. I am trying to make a statement through the film,” observes Shashank. He points out that he’s trying to challenge a popular belief in society and the movie is an attempt to justify that challenge.

What’s also interesting about the film is its music — four of the songs are written by Shashank and one has been written by Yograj Bhat. Music director Arjun Janya has made sure the beats and rhythm are original. Yograj Bhat has composed the song in Hubli style. Another song is sung in folk style and yet another piece has been written and composed on an youngster’s obsession with the telephone.

Shashank says that he’s made sure each of the five songs have an identity of its own. One of the songs, set in rap mode, has African dancers grooving to desi beats alongside Indian dancers. This has been shot in Bangkok. Another song has been shot in the backdrop of an old fort in Bidar.

Vijay, who plays the role of a body builder, is thrilled about his character. He says he’s never attempted anything like this before. “Connecting a mythological character to reality is an arduous task. You have to be really creative to do something like that. I have played a lot of roles that appeal to the masses but here I was really impressed with the subject,” says Vijay.  He confesses that he worked really hard for his character.

“After a week of intense training in Thai fighting I have had to come and see my physiotherapist. My body aches but I think my efforts will pay off,” he adds.