Exclusive! Dhananjaya: I could not say no to Zebra; it’s an amazing script and never-before-attempted subject

Earlier this week, the team of Dhananjaya’s next in Telugu, announced its title. Called Zebra, this film by director Eashvar Karthic (of Keerthy Suresh’s Penguin fame), has two heroes – Dhananjaya and Satyadev – in the lead and is, interestingly, the 26th movie venture for both the leading men. In an earlier conversation with OTTplay, during the promotions of his last home production, Head Bush, Dhananjaya had spoken about Zebra, which was untitled at the time, and why he took it up, even though it is a two-hero subject.

“One of my upcoming projects is a film in which both Satyadev and I are in the lead. It’s a Telugu project and has an amazing subject. After the slew of back-to-back films that I had in 2022, I have slowed down on my work load and am focusing on only one project at a time. The film with Satyadev is one that I will do once I complete Hoysala and before I embark on my next in Kannada, Uttarakaanda. When I heard the story, I just could not say no to it. Eashvar Karthic, who had made Penguin with Keerthy Suresh earlier, narrated the story, and the way he did it, as well as his approach to the subject, was so good. It’s a very different subject, in fact, I don’t think anyone has attempted something like this before. Even with two heroes, he has written his script in a way that both have equal weightage in the film. It’s not that one is the protagonist and the other the villain,” explained Dhananjaya.

But beside the incredulous subject, the actor added that another clincher was that Satyadev was a part of it. “Satyadev’s journey as an actor is something that I could totally relate to. Sometimes in life, you don’t know how and when certain things sync. This film, incidentally, is his 26thas well as mine too and we are acting together. If you look at Satyadev’s journey in films and then mine, you will realize that there are lot of similarities in how we got to where we are today. I have a lot of hope on this film – the team is good, as is the script. The team has already begun shooting for the film with Satyadev and I will join the set shortly,” Dhananjaya said.

Meanwhile, speaking on the sidelines of his pal Vasishta N Simha’s wedding in Mysuru on Thursday, Dhananjaya had said that after the debacle that was 2022 for his career, he has made a conscious choice to only do mass action entertainers meant for family audiences. Hoysala, his second film with KRG Studios after Rathnan Prapancha, is one such, in which he is playing a cop in a story set in Belagavi. His next with the same production house, Uttarakaanda, reunites him with Rathnan Prapancha director Rohit Padaki and will be a tale about the gangsters of North Karnataka. The film will also serve as the comeback vehicle for actress Ramya.