Rudhiram: Raj B Shetty wraps up his Malayalam debut, ‘stood with us through thick and thin,’ says its director

Raj B Shetty and Aparna Balamurali play the leads in Jisho Lon Antony’s movie Rudhiram

Raj B Shetty and Aparna Balamurali

Kannada actor-director Raj B Shetty, who is known for his movies Ondu Motteya Kathe and Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana, has completed the shoot of his debut Malayalam movie Rudhiram, which is helmed by debutant Jisho Lon Antony.

The movie, which also has Aparna Balamurali in the lead, is a survival-cum-revenge drama that went on floors in February this year. The filmmaker in an exclusive chat with OTTplay tells us that the team had wrapped up the shoot of the film this week, with the final portions being shot in Chimmini Wildlife Sanctuary, Thrissur. “Most of the shoot of the movie was in Thrissur and nearby locations,” says Jisho.

Also read: Exclusive! Raj B Shetty surprised us by agreeing to do Rudhiram even though we had our doubts: Jisho Lon Antony

Ask him about completing his debut film, the director says he’s grateful that he could work with two of “the most brilliant actors in the South industry today”. “Both Raj sir and Aparna are big names for me. They play equally important characters in the movie and it’s their complete support and co-operation that made us complete the movie,” he says.

The two were part of the film’s entire schedule, which lasted 50 days. “During the schedule, it was peak summer in Kerala with temperatures touching even 43 degrees, and there were days when we had to shoot in the afternoon. Both of them were extremely cooperative and didn’t show any hesitation,” Jisho says.

Also read: Raj B Shetty on his debut Malayalam film Rudhiram: ‘I love this film because of the way it’s written’

The director also says Raj supported the team “through thick and thin”. “The thing with Raj sir is that if he is convinced of the story, then he’s all in. It’s the same with Aparna. The film revolves around their characters and they have stepped up to perform out of their skin for their roles,” says the filmmaker.

Apart from the duo, the movie also has a few new faces in pivotal roles. Jisho says that they are yet to decide on the film’s release date and will take a call once they complete the post production. Rudhiram, which has been shot in Malayalam, will also be dubbed in Kannada, Telugu and Tamil.

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