Dhananjaya: Going forward I will only do massy action entertainers for family audiences

In the last few years, Dhananjaya has been seen as one of the most promising actors in Kannada cinema, even gaining the moniker Natarakshasa. As his stock rose, the actor not only broadened his horizons in other industries, but also took up a slew of films in Kannada, which he found creatively satisfying. Amid all this, he also turned to production. To his bad luck, though, none of his films that came out n 2022 worked at the box office. In fact, Dhananjaya had the most releases last year, including 21 Hours, Thotapuri Chapter 1, Monsoon Raaga, Bairagee, Head Bush and Once Upon a Time in Jamaligudda.

Some of these films had Dhananjaya in avatars that did not meet fan expectations, while others failed because of poor scripts and execution. While Dhananjaya does not regret any of his decisions and firmly stands by his films, each has been a lesson in what to do and what not to. Like, for instance, with his home production Head Bush, the actor-producer says that his biggest learning was to not announce a release until and unless the product is ready, referring to the last minute hurried theatrical outing of the film.

The actor, who is currently working on his milestone 25th, Hoysala, which is coming to theatres on March 30, 2023, was in Mysuru today to attend the wedding of his friend and fellow actor Vasishta N Simha. Even at the maduve mane, he could not escape film talk, as he was quizzed about Hoysala by the media that had gathered. Speaking to them, Dhananjaya said that these days, he is often told by fans to do serious and hardcore commercial films. He added that he’s understood that he needs to meet fan expectations, which also means that there will not be much scope for experimentation. His new resolution, he said, is that going forward he will only do massy action entertainers meant for family audiences.