JOIN USBowled over by the role
There’s really nobody who hasn’t played cricket on the streets sometime in their childhood. The friends one makes during the ‘gully cricket’ days is sure to remain in one’s memory for a long time and brings total strangers together.
This spirit of ‘gully cricket’ is the subject matter of Karthik Jayaram’s latest project ‘Bangalore 23’ where he plays the captain of a team of street cricketers. It is a remake of the Tamil film, ‘Chennai 28’ and features all the players of ‘Karnataka Bulldozers’ team. “There’s an area near Magadi Road in Bengaluru that comes under the area code of 23. The events in the film happen in that particular area. The movie delves into the lives of the boys who play cricket on the streets, the fights that ensue and those who fall in love as well,” he shares.
The movie is meant for cricket lovers who not only play the sport but follow the game as well. “Who doesn’t like cricket?” asks Karthik. He plays the role of the captain of the team. “I used to be the captain of my school and college team. And later, I led the team in the cricket club as well. I am used to leading a team and I ended up doing the same in this movie as well,” says Jayaram. He says the best part of the movie is that nobody is projected as a hero. “Everybody has been given an equal role in the film,” he adds. He further states that all the seven characters in the movie have been introduced by actor Sudeep. “The characters have been introduced by Sudeep in a different way. This adds to the feel of the film,” he says. Karthik also points out that the song ‘Nannavale’ has been sung by Sonu Nigam in just one take.
His tough appearance in ‘Varadhanayaka’ has been much appreciated. His next film ‘Care of Foothpath2’ will be released soon. “Negative and tough roles really test your nerves and it gives me a high to slip into a cop’s uniform. I would like to experiment with as many roles and characters as possible,” he notes. Karthik doesn’t believe in restricting himself to any language. He feels actors must act in as many languages as they can.