Dhananjaya: I do multiple films because I need to work and can’t say no when good scripts come to me

Daali Dhananjaya was, undoubtedly, one of the busiest actors of Kannada cinema, if you go by the sheer number of releases he’s had. There was the Kannada-Malayalam bilingual 21 Hours, Bairagee with Shivarajkumar, Monsoon Raaga, his home production Head Bush, a cameo in Thotapuri Chapter 1 and he’s closing out the year with Once Upon a Time in Jamaligudda. That’s six films for the year.

At the trailer launch of Once Upon a Time in Jamaligudda, which will be in theatres on December 30, Dhananjaya spoke about being asked why he does so many films. “See, you can’t predict that every film of mine will do the same kind of business at the box office. Every film has a market of its own and will work accordingly. All the films will not be big hits, but the aim is to ensure that the producers who invest in these projects are ‘safe’. It gives me great pleasure to say that everyone who backed my films this year has been safe and not lost money. The scale of profit may vary from film to film. As for doing six films in a year, well, I also have to keep working, and when good teams and stories come to you, you can’t say no to it. I am also a producer, so I need to earn enough to be able to push funds into the films I back,” he reasons.

Dhananjaya adds that what also happens when he does multiple films in a year is that each team presents a new set of talents either behind or in front of the camera, which is an asset for the Kannada film industry. “For instance, impressed with the work of the cinematographer of Once Upon a Time in Jamaligudda, Karthik S, we took him on to handle the camera for my next, Hoysala as well,” he says.