Tatsama Tadbhava: Pannaga Bharana on why Prajwal Devaraj agreed to do the film | Exclusive

Prajwal plays Aravind Ashwatthama, a sharp and clever police officer, which is a stark departure from his usual commercial film roles

Prajwal Devaraj in a still from the film

In all of the media interactions about this week’s release Tatsama Tadbhava, the team, especially producer Pannaga Bharana, has been vocal about how important the film is to its leading lady Meghana Raj Sarja. The actress, who has been away from the big screen for a while, and was focusing on motherhood, returns with the Vishal Atreya directed suspense thriller that hits theatres on September 15. But if the trailer of the film is anything to go by, the film is just as important for Meghana as it is for Prajwal Devaraj, who plays a police officer in it.

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Tatsama Tadbhava, unlike Prajwal’s usual commercial entertainers, does not have him do action blocks or song-and-dance routines. Instead, he will be seen leading an investigation into the mysterious disappearance of Aarika’s (Meghana) husband, from the confines of his office. How he deduces the chain of events through interviews with potential suspects forms the crux of the narrative and audiences who’ve seen the trailer have been highly appreciative of Prajwal’s role and see it as a welcome break for the actor as well.

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Talking about the casting, Pannaga tells us, “When I heard the story, of course, I wanted Meghana to lead it, but more so because the tale was very exciting. Gradually, when we were finalizing the script and how to go about shooting it, we were still looking for an actor to play Aravind Ashwatthama, the cop. This is a role that would be different for any actor we’d choose to cast. In fact, we thought of a lot of mainstream Kannada actors, from the senior lot to newer ones as well. That’s when it struck us that Prajwal has not done anything like this before. Tatsama Tadbhava is a film in which presentation is very important. With thrillers, it is next to impossible to come up with a story that’s never been told before, so, it all boils down to how you present your tale. In that sense, casting Meghana, Prajwal and all the other characters, it is novel for each and every one.”

But did Prajwal need a bit of convincing to step out of his regular commercial hero avatar? “When Prajwal heard the script for the first time, it was only to get his opinion about it and he loved it. The idea of casting him happened later and then, he agreed because of our friendship. So, there wasn’t much convincing there. But after he came on set, he understood how the film was being made and how different it was looking for him. Then, he started to fall in love with the character. It was a process for him. At no point did we take Prajwal’s image or what his fans expect of him into consideration while presenting him as Aravind Ashwatthama. It will be refreshing for audiences when the film releases this week,” adds Pannaga.

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