Children’s film by Mysurean to be released in March

Many film personalities trace their origin to Mysuru and Mysuru region. A new addition to the cinema tribe, from Mysuru, is producer, director and cinematographer Kumara Swamy from KR Nagar. It is a re-entry for the 69-year-old film enthusiast, after a couple of decades.

Even though Kumara Swamy is not new to films, as he has worked with directors like Puttanna Kanagal and Devanand, ‘Namma Bharatha’, which is certified as a children’s film, is his pet project. “Namma Bharatha was planned to be released last year, but due to the Covid crisis, it had to be postponed. It may be released in March,” he said.

Recalling his initial career, Kumara Swamy said, “Even as a 10th standard student, I started a photo studio in KR Nagar. In 1974, I completed a diploma in Cinematography in Bengaluru. Then I worked for a few films in Mysuru, Bengaluru and also Mumbai as assistant to cinematographers like S Maruti Rao and D K Prabhakar.”

“The film is based on two real incidents, scripted by Ravishankar Mirle, also from erstwhile KR Nagar taluk. The story revolves around colonisation, sacrifices of freedom fighters, patriotism and guidelines for hoisting and unfurling of the national flag,” he said.

Producer S A Srinivas of Saligrama, brother-in-law of thespian Dr Rajkumar, said that he is also from the erstwhile KR Nagar taluk. “I have seen Kumara Swamy since our childhood days. He was interested in photography even as a boy. He dabbled with some business, after returning from Mumbai. Now, with his diverse experience, he has made a good film,” he said.

Vageesh, playing a freedom fighter’s role, the protagonist in the film, said that it is not the usual run of the mill movie. “It is a realistic film. The future generations will not have regard for the nation and its Independence, if they are not aware of the sacrifices of the people during the freedom struggle. Thus, this film is an effort to document the turn of events that lead to the Independence,” he said.