Bengaluru: Shine Shetty rose to fame as the winner of Bigg Boss Kannada in 2020. It took him a while to realise that television popularity is temporary. To establish himself in the film industry, he had to start afresh.
That’s when Ranggasthala Studios was born — Shine’s production company, in association with Divakar Shetty and Gururaj Kulkarni. The banner’s first project is Shankarabharanna, a horror comedy set in coastal Karnataka and starring Shine in the lead.
On Bigg Boss Fame
“A lot of people told me that Bigg Boss would tarnish my image. I didn’t see the show as everybody did. I tried to set an example by being a good contestant and doing the right things inside the house. That’s why Season 7 stands out,” says Shine, adding that not many have been able to capitalise on the fame from the reality show.
“Your success isn’t forever. You are in the limelight only till the next edition of Bigg Boss begins.”
Shine was aware of his strong following, but his acting career didn’t start as strongly as he expected. His food truck endeavour, ‘Galli Kitchen’, helped him stay afloat during the challenging phase.
“Thanks to Galli Kitchen, I let go of projects I didn’t believe in. Of course, I made some wrong decisions too. That said, I wanted to do something that would make people feel that they did the right thing by rooting for me in Bigg Boss. Shankarabharanna is that film.”
Sumanth Bhat’s Litmus Test
After penning the story, Shine roped in Sumanth Bhat to helm the project. For Sumanth, 2026 is a special year, having won the National Award for Best Kannada Feature Film for his debut Mithya. However, Shankarabharanna is his litmus test.
“It’s one thing to make a movie, travel to international festivals, and win several awards. But it’s a different ball game to distribute the movie to the masses and reach every small centre of the state,” says Sumanth, reflecting on Mithya‘s limited release and lukewarm run.
“Art for art’s sake is a romantic thing to say. However, when the reality dawns upon you, you understand that art is commerce first. If a film made on such a shoestring budget cannot recover its money, then you need to rethink your choices. I decided to find my audience first.”
Adapting to Commercial Grammar
Having made an unconventional movie, Sumanth had to adapt to commercial cinema grammar for Shankarabharanna.
“That learning happened on the go,” says the director. “When you are directing actors, be it independent film or a mainstream movie, emotions have to work… The only difference in this movie was to make it more palatable to a larger audience. So, I had to work on the staging of scenes and build rhythm through edits.”
After watching Mithya, Shine was confident in Sumanth’s abilities. “Mithya is a poignant drama about a troubled childhood. Every parent and cinephile must watch it. Interestingly, Adolescence, the Netflix series with a similar theme, was celebrated more. Those who haven’t seen Mithya should give it a chance.”
Tanvi Ram’s Kannada Debut
Shankarabharanna marks the Kannada debut of actor Tanvi Ram, who has acted in prominent Malayalam films such as *2018* (2023), Kappela (2020), Thallumaala (2022) and Ambili (2019).
The team’s professionalism impressed Tanvi, who feels the script retained its strength after being translated to screen. “I have seen the movie multiple times, and it keeps me hooked on every viewing,” says Tanvi, who plays a Kannada-speaking Malayali in the film.
On Composer Charan Raj
The songs of Shankarabharanna have set the right tone. Sumanth hails composer Charan Raj as a natural talent.
“Charan is a genius. He can produce two- to three-minute pieces from one piano note effortlessly… One quality about him is that he doesn’t discriminate between projects. He approaches a Sapta Saagaradaache Ello with the same passion he did Shankarabharanna.”
