National Film Awards 2021: Rakshit Shetty and Kiranraj K’s 777 Charlie is the best Kannada film

The 69th National Film Awards for 2021 have just been announced and one of the early winners was namma 777 Charlie, which was adjudged the Best Kannada Film. Directed by Kiranraj K and produced by Rakshit Shetty, who also played the lead role in the film, 777 Charlie released in theatres on June 10, 2022.

777 Charlie, which marked Kiranraj’s directorial debut, was a labour of love for the filmmaker that spanned many years. He had first begun working on it with Aravinnd Iyer in the lead, only to have Rakshit step in later as the protagonist Dharma. The film revolves around Dharma, a loner, with no family, whose life is about going to work at the factory, eating a staple diet of two idlis that he buys from one particular store every day, drinking beer, smoking and picking the occasional fight. When a runaway dog that’s managed a daring escape from a shelter, decides to make its home with Dharma, he doesn’t take to it immediately. Slowly and steadily, though, a bond develops between the dog and the human and what follows is a transformational journey for both, as they find solace in each other.

Read also: 777 Charlie movie review: Rakshit Shetty’s film for pet lovers is all heart and soul

Speaking about the film, Rakshit had been quoted as saying that working on it was an experience he will cherish for years to come. The film had a pan-India release and did reasonably well in all centres, with Rakshit reporting that it had made close to Rs 150 crore in revenue across box office and non-theatrical rights. The Kannada version of the film came to Voot Select subsequently, while all the other language versions were picked up by Amazon Prime Video, where they are still available on rental basis only.