Dinakar Thoogudeepa: ‘Royal is a commercial entertainer that revolves around a mother-son bond’ | Exclusive

Royal, which is described as Dinakar Thoogudeepa's comeback directorial after 2018’s Life Jothe Ondu Selfie, will be in theatres on January 24.

Dinakar Thoogudeepa returns to direction with Royal

Ever since Dinakar Thoogudeepa announced his newest directorial venture, Royal, starring Viraat and Sanjana Anand in the lead, it is the actor pair who have been seen out and about promoting the film and the viral Tang Tang song, giving the impression that the filmmaker is set to present a romantic drama. “Actually, Royal is a film that revolves around a mother and her son,” Dinakar tells OTTPlay, in a quick chat ahead of the release on January 24.

“Earlier this week, we had released a song called Nooru Koti Devaru, and that is when it became clear to audiences that there’s more than just the romance between Viraat and Sanjana in the film. Now, they’ve realized that the mother’s character is also quite pivotal to the tale. Chaya Singh, who was last seen in Bhairathi Ranagal, plays the mother,” Dinakar says.

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Dinakar about taking up Royal as his next directorial

Royal was not a film that Dinakar had planned but came about after Power Star Puneeth Rajkumar’s passing. “I had spent nearly a year-and-a-half on the story and had a bound script ready when we lost Puneeth. I was still trying to figure out what to do next when producer-distributor Jayanna asked me if I could direct a film with Viraat in the lead, as he has a 5-film deal with the actor. I thought it would be a refreshing and challenging change to work with a newcomer, which I haven’t really done since Jothe Jotheyalli,” he says.

Dinakar explains that working with a new cast in today’s times required him to upgrade his filmmaking sensibilities as well. “The biggest change I saw is that budgets have gotten bigger and better even for films with newcomers. Royal has been made at Rs 15 crore. Today, we are looking at a release across at least 200 theatres, which is a big deal, so the storytelling and presentation has to be commensurate,” he reckons.

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The filmmaker says that the biggest challenge is in drawing your target audience’s attention away from their mobile phone screens and getting them invested in a theatrical experience. “People will come to the theatre only if your story and execution is novel and it excites them. At no point can you underestimate your audience; they are smart and can figure out what you are trying to tell even before you’ve got to that point. It’s an exciting prospect for a filmmaker to evoke curiosity in the audience’s minds and that is what drew me to Royal,” Dinakar says.

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