Rishab Shetty & Co. seek divine blessings as comedy-drama Laughing Buddha gets underway

M. Bharath Raj, who previously directed Hero with Rishab Shetty in the lead, helms Laughing Buddha

The team of Laughing Buddha

Rishab Shetty is known to work round-the-clock for his creative endeavors. Aside from being a successful actor and director, Rishab's production ventures too have created a niche for themselves over time. One such exciting film is Laughing Buddha, a promising comedy-drama that stars his frequent collaborator Pramod Shetty in the lead. M. Bharath Raj writes and directs the film which was to go on floors almost two years ago but the team has now hit the strides with a special script pooja.

"The film was meant to take off in 2020 but the pandemic played spoilsport not once but twice. And unable to get things rolling, I took on Hero during the second wave - in the meantime, Pramod Shetty got super busy with other commitments so Laughing Buddha got delayed further. But this time allowed me to work on the script again and we are finally ready to go on floors. We plan to start shooting on June 27th and I am super kicked about bringing this story to life," shares director Bharath Raj.

And despite the delay, the first look poster of Laughing Buddha (released almost two years ago) has managed to charm the digital audience. Right from the title that implies warmth and cheerfulness for the general public to Pramod Shetty merrily flaunting his paunch in the poster, there is enough intrigue about the film already. But why is the film named after the ancient Chinese monk? Bharath Raj adds:

"The term Laughing Buddha is unanimously associated with innocence and affability, and that's exactly what our protagonist is about. Pramod Shetty plays Govardhan in the film, a small-town head constable who, in myriad ways, is an oddball character because he is a pure soul who finds only the good in the people he encounters. This personality trait of his comes in contrast to the general bluntness of the police force and the title also reflects the vibe of our film. The story follows Govardhan and how one unprecedented incident puts him in trouble, causing him to fix it with all his might. Laughing Buddha is an intimate, feel-good film, at the end of it, that boasts of many relatable characters - in fact, we have opted for lesser-known actors to play the policemen so that we can create an authentic world".

The shooting of Laughing Buddha is expected to begin on June 27th with a 40-day schedule in place. The team will be heading to Bhadravathi to shoot a majority of the film and wrap up the remaining portion in Bengaluru. Rishab Shetty co-produces the film with KVN Productions and Chandrashekaran of Harikathe Alla Girikathe fame comes on board as the cinematographer.

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