Dhananjaya’s Monsoon Raaga gets censored U/A; new release date to be announced shortly

Daali Dhananjaya, who at one point seemed to be set for one release per month, has seen postponements for some of them. First it was his milestone 25th film Hoysala, which was started with the intention of it being a 2022 Karnataka Rajyotsava (November 1) release. There are rumours that Head Bush, which is currently set for October 21 release, may forego that, as Challenging Star Darshan’s Kranti is apparently eyeing that date.

Then Monsoon Raaga was pushed ahead from August 12 to August 19 and then indefinitely with no new date, while the social media buzz is that Once Upon a Time in Jamaligudda may also not keep up with its September 9 date. Dhananjaya is, apparently, putting all his energies into the promotions and release of his second home production Head Bush, which is the three-part biopic of Bengaluru’s first don, MP Jayaraj.

Monsoon Raaga’s technical difficulty in meeting its August 19 release date appears to be the delay in having it censored. Only yesterday it was announced that the film has been cleared with U/A certification. Monsoon Raaga, which also stars Rachita Ram, Achyuth Kumar and Suhasini Maniratnam, anong others, is the Kannada remake of the critically-acclaimed Telugu film C/O Kancharapalem.

Dhananjaya, who was last seen onscreen in the Shiva Rajkumar starrer Bairagee, which has now begun its OTT journey on Voot Select, was recently announced as the lead of Rohit Padaki’s second project with KRG Studios, Uttarakaanda, a film about the violent gangs of North Karnataka. Rohit and Dhananjaya had earlier collaborated on the Studios’ debut venture, Rathnan Prapancha.

On his birthday earlier this week, the actor-producer had sent out a mission statement for his production wing, according to which, the plan is to make two films every year, which would serve as a platform for new talent. The note did not specify whether he would act in these films, but mentioned his struggle over the years, so it would not come as a surprise if he ends up producing films with newcomers.