Salaga preview: All you need to know about Duniya Vijay’s directorial debut

Director Suri’s Duniya not only catapulted him to instant fame, but also its leading man Vijay, both of who have since been known after the film as Duniya Suri and Duniya Vijay, respectively. The film, about an innocent small-town man who gets caught in the nexus between the underworld and the police, was quite the hit back in the day. The underworld, as it turns out, is a subject that fascinates Vijay, so much so that he has used it as the backdrop for his directorial debut Salaga, which is counting down to its October 14 theatrical release. The film was supposed to be a 2020 Ugadi release and was subsequently delayed by the pandemic and the 50% only occupancy rule for movie halls. With theatres back to full capacity starting today, October 1, the film was then fixed for a festive release for Dasara. It is, however, in direct competition with Kichcha Sudeep’s Kotigobba 3.

What is Salaga about?

Although Vijay has not delved into the minute details of Salaga yet, he has been quoted as saying that the film is his take on the underworld and the story of an innocent criminal. There are quite a few action blocks in the film, as is evident from the images the team has released so far, of Vijay wielding guns and machetes with elan. While that is the crux of the tale, there’s also a love story that unfolds, for which Vijay is paired with Sanjana Anand, the actress who rose to fame with Chemistry of Kariyappa.

The film is being produced by KP Sreekanth, whose earlier release was Tagaru, and much of the crew is also from the Shivarajkumar starrer. In fact, Vijay had sought Shivanna’s blessings before embarking on the making of Salaga.

Tagaru’s Daali is Salaga’s ACP Samrat

Shortly after the release of Tagaru, in which actor Dhananjaya’s character Daali was widely appreciated, Vijay got him onboard for Salaga. Interestingly, though, while Daali was one of the villains of Tagaru, in Salaga, Dhananjaya gets into cop mode, as ACP Samrat, an honest police officer in pursuit of criminals. This is the actor’s first outing as a police officer, something that he says he has been looking forward to.

Comedy man Nagabhushan gets a serious role

Better known for his comedy, actor Nagabhushan will be seen as as an advocate in Salaga. The character is a first for the actor, and has a major role in taking the narrative of the film forward.

Salaga loses a cast member

Kannada TV actor Susheel Gowda, known for his work in serials like Anthapura, Radha Ramana and Chandanada Gombe, plays a police officer in Salaga. The actor shot for his role in a 20-day schedule. However, in early 2020, Susheel committed suicide.

Tagaru hitmaker Charan Raj’s music for Salaga

Although music man Charan Raj has dime-a-dozen hit numbers to his credit, the title track of Tagaru continues to be a fan favourite. And now, he is set to bring his magic to Salaga too. While he got Anthony Dasan to sing Tagaru Banthu Tagaru, for Salaga he is introducing Yogi B to Kannada music with the film’s title track. Yogi and Sanjith Hegde sang the song that has lyrics borrowed from Sanjay Dutt’s film Khalnayak, which go like, ‘Nayak nahi, Khalnayak hai tu’. A promotional song for the film features members from the Siddi tribe.

When will Salaga release?

After several delays, Salaga is currently locked for theatrical release on October 14, 2021