Rishi on Rudhra Garuda Purana: The mystery of the bus 17A Kaveri will evoke a lot of questions

Rishi on Rudhra Garuda Purana: Rishi says that when the story of Rudhra Garuda Purana was narrated to him, he had questions, a reaction, he says, audiences will also have

Rishi (left) in Rudhra Garuda Purana; (right) the mysterious 17A Kaveri bus

Kannada actor Rishi’s next release is Rudhra Garuda Purana, a thriller, which, as per the trailer, has elements of dark magic involved. In the film, Rishi is Rudhra, a diligent police officer, who is assigned to investigate a case that has befuddled his colleagues and has had no progress. Manu, the son of a sitting MLA, has been missing for a week, leaving no clues behind other than that he boarded a bus, 17A Kaveri, with his girlfriend.

The importance of 17A Kaveri in Rudhra Garuda Purana

But then Rudhra’s investigation reveals that 17A Kaveri has been out of commission for a quarter of a century after it met with an accident. How is it that this bus has re-emerged after all these years? “The story of Rudhra Garuda Purana begins with the mystery surrounding a bus that’s not been around for 25 years, and the incidents occurring after its reappearance. When director KS Nandeesh narrated the story, the first question that popped into my head is, ‘How is this possible?’. But then, I thought that if I had questions and wanted to know more, audiences would likely have the same reaction. Could it be black magic, or is someone playing around with the protagonist? There are multiple possible scenarios for what’s going on,” says Rishi.

Rishi's next in Telugu is period drama along with Faria Abdullah & Thiruveer

The biggest challenge for Rudhra, adds the actor, is that he can take on and fight an opponent in front of him, but how does he tackle something or someone that he cannot see? “As a story, it seemed very engaging and seemed apt for a big-screen experience,” he says. The film, which releases in theatres on January 24, also stars Giri Shivanna, Avinash, Shivaraj KR Pete, KS Sridhar, Priyanka, among others.

Rishi is currently basking in the success of the Telugu Sankranti hit Daaku Maharaj, the Nandamuri Balakrishna film in which he is one of the antagonists. The actor, who debuted in Telugu with the series Shaitaan, says that he’s currently busy with a few commitments in Telugu and that he has two Kannada films also lined up. He is yet to confirm or deny his involvement in Kamal Haasan’s Thug Life, although there’s been speculation that the Mani Ratnam film will mark his Kollywood debut.

Did Rishi just confirm his big Tamil film break?

Share