Kiran Raj opens up on benefits of being in South Indian film industry

MUMBAI: Kiran Raj has completed working on the Kannada film 'Bahaddhur Gandu', a nod to the 1976 hit movie of the same name starring the late superstar Dr Rajkumar. In his words, the film is a complete entertainer with a lot of action sequences.

"The story is of a regular guy who always supports good and never tolerates ill behaviour. He travels to his village and observes many things going wrong which he corrects and becomes everyone's favourite, it's a complete entertainer with a lot of action sequences," he said.

He is also done with another Kannada film titled 'Swagatha'. "It's a character everyone can relate to. He is 30 now and parents want him to get married, but in the same caste. Unfortunately his girlfriend is not from the same caste. So how the love story moves forward and how both of them convince their parents is the story. It's a kind of a rom-com with action too," he said.

He has done south films and also TV shows in Mumbai. "Except for the language I feel everything is quite similar, not much of a difference in the working pattern. Since I know both the languages, it's quite comfortable for me in both the places," said the actor, who knows Kannada, English, Hindi and Telugu.

"I've been familiar with Kannada and Hindi since childhood, so working in these mediums has never been a problem for me," he added.

He shared that not only the south film industry, but all the sectors have been affected by the pandemic.

"Initially everyone faced a lot of difficulties, especially the daily wage workers. It was quite heartbreaking to see people losing their jobs and families, that's why I've always done my bit to help the needy and urge others to do so. Currently, the situation is not that great but now people have found alternatives and are learning to live with the pandemic. I just wish and pray this ends soon and life gets back to normal," he said.

Shooting during the pandemic was very scary for him, he said. "But the show must go on and after the lockdown, we started shooting with all the necessary precautions," he added.

For him, the biggest plus of being a part of the south industry is that he is doing what he loves to do.

"My passion is acting. The medium doesn't matter. I just want to do great work and give some fantastic performances and with the south industry, I'm very thankful and lucky with the kind of love, support and appreciation my fans shower on me. I would like to say I'm here to entertain and I'll do my best to keep my fans entertained," he said.

He loves watching and working in action flicks. "It gives me a different kick," he shared.

He even likes doing his own stunts. "It works for me better to do my own stunts as I'm the one playing the character, so I want to be in the character's shoes to justify my role, but obviously with all the necessary safety, precautions and guidance of the action director," he said.

SOURCE : IANS