Uttarakaanda: What’s happening with Shivarajkumar-Dhananjaya’s gangster film?

A few days ago, the buzz in industry circles was that Uttarakaanda, the two-part gangster flick produced by KRG Studios and directed by Rohit Padaki, with Dhananjaya and Shivarajkumar in the lead, had been shelved. The rumours began after it was announced that Rohit was helming Yuva Rajkumar’s next, Ekka, which is currently in production. Dhananjaya began working on Anna From Mexico with his Badava Rascal director Shankar, while Shivarajkumar is on a sabbatical from work for the treatment he is currently undergoing.

Bhavana to be paired with Shivarajkumar in Uttarakaanda 

Uttarakaanda not shelved: Karthik Gowda

Responding to a comment that Uttarakaanda has been shelved, producer Karthik Gowda said that the film is still on and is only on hold. Scheduling conflicts and Shivarajkumar’s current unavailability is why the film, which is about 30% done, is currently stalled, he explained. The Century Star, who was busy with promotions of his latest, Bhairathi Ranagal, finished up his portions on composer Arjun Janya’s 45 and has put all other projects on hold. He is expected to resume work sometime in February or March, once he returns from the US, where he will have surgery as part of his ongoing treatment.

Not much is known about Uttarakaanda but for the fact that it is supposed to be a gangster tale set in the heartland of north Karnataka. Initially, it was announced as a Dhananjaya-led film that would mark the big screen return of Ramya, with Shivarajkumar playing a pivotal role. Ramya was at the muhurtha and did a voice over for the title announcement video. Filming, though, took off much later, and by the time the team was ready to go on floors, Ramya excused herself from the project.

Uttarakaanda director Rohit Padaki addresses Ramya’s departure from film 

She was replaced by Aishwarya Rajesh, with the film also boasting a stellar cast including Bhavana, Chaithra J Achar, Gopalkrishna Deshpande, Umashree, Rangayana Raghu, Diganth and Vijay Babu, among others.