Nikhil Siddhartha: Chandoo Mondeti has evolved as a writer, director with Karthikeya 2

The mystical thriller releases in five languages on August 13

Nikhil Siddhartha

Nikhil Siddhartha, who’s been out of action without a theatrical release for over three years owing to miscellaneous reasons, will finally be seen on the big screen again with Karthikeya 2. The film, that hits theatres on August 13, also stars Anupama Parameswara as the female lead. The mystical thriller is written and directed by Chandoo Mondeti.

“When Chandoo Mondeti told me the story of the second part, I wanted it to be better than the first and that’s why the film took so many years to come to life. The pandemic only furthered the delay. Chandoo has truly evolved as a writer and a director over these years. I play a full-time doctor cum part-time detective in the film. Karthikeya is an adventure enthusiast,” Nikhil shares.

The actor states that Karthikeya 2 highlights the conflict between history and mythology. “There’s a purpose to every scene and the film takes several interesting twists and turns. Those who’re curious about the existence of God will really like it. The film depicts the idea of God. We shot the film amidst a rocky terrain before and after the pandemic without using CG work.”

He’s all praise for Anupam Kher, who plays a crucial role in the film and calls him a great person. “I was anxious about sharing screen space with him but he made us feel so comfortable and performed like a dream.” Anupama Parameswaran’s role will surprise many and she is an excellent co-actor, he adds. “The entire team shot for the film with so much dedication.”

The Swamy Ra Ra actor has always been an adventure enthusiast and it’s Chandoo Mondeti’s area of interest too. “I used to read many books like TinTin and thought we too have stories like Indiana Jones to tell. We plan to showcase the beauty of our country and heritage with Karthikeya 2. This is is my first pan-Indian release and I’m very excited about it,” he mentions.

Nikhil applauds Kaala Bhairava for his background score and is confident that music buffs will take a liking to all the three songs in the film. His next release after Karthikeya 2 is 18 Pages, directed by Surya Pratap Palnati, for which he reunites with Anupama Parameswaran. He’s doing a film with Sudheer Varma and a thriller, Spy. All of them will be theatrical releases.

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