Aaram Aravinda Swamy is Aniissh’s attempt at doing a ‘different’ film

After 14 years in the Kannada film industry and 10 films to his credit, some of which did not have the desired response at the box office, actor Aniissh decided it was time to shake things up. He dropped his surname (Tejeshwar), added a couple of alphabets to his name and picked up a subject that was out-of-the-box as far as his filmography to date goes. For this, he collaborated with director Abhishek Shetty, whose pitch for Aaram Aravinda Swamy felt right.

Birthday boy Aniissh announces that Aaram Aravind Swamy will be an out-of-the-box subject 

Having seen Abhishek’s work as an actor and filmmaker in films like Nam Gani BCom Pass and Gajanana and Gang, Aniissh was keen to collaborate. But when Aniissh called Abhishek for a discussion to see if he had any subjects that would work for him, the latter pitched a bunch of massy commercial stories that he wasn’t keen on. Aniissh was all set to send Abhishek back home, when he told him about a script that he’d earmarked for himself. And what he heard blew his mind, says Aniissh, in a conversation with Kadak Cinema.

What's the crux of Aaram Aravinda Swamy?

The actor plays the title character Aravinda Swamy in the film, who, to the outside world comes across as a happy-go-lucky person with no worries whatsoever. The truth, however, could not be more different. Aravinda has his own share of troubles, including with money, and the shortcuts he chooses to find himself in a better place, is what the film is about.

Aaram Aravinda Swamy’s first video song is all about birthday boy Anissh’s title role 

What struck Aniissh about the story is the hero’s character, which, he says audiences will relate to. “When you look at a person, you may think he’s sorted in life, but that may not be true. He may, in fact, be struggling at some level. Abishek has presented this in a funny manner. In fact, in the film, Aravinda tells everyone around him that he’s not fine and has money trouble, but no one believes him. To be honest, when I heard the character sketch, it reminded me of myself and I think audiences too will connect to him on that level,” says the actor.