Bhairava Geetha is raw, real and rustic: Dhananjay

Popular Kannada actor

Dhananjay

, is all set to make his Telugu debut with the action drama

Bhairava Geetha

this week, and looks like he’s feeling very much at home in Tollywood. “The film is raw, gritty and speaks for the oppressed. I worked very hard to get into the skin of the character. I had to be as real as possible, especially to get the

Rayalaseema

dialect right. I really need to thank RGV and writer Ram Vamsi to have helped me through this. Now, I am as comfortable with Telugu as I’m with Kannada,” he shares excitedly.

Talking about the film, Dhananjay says, “My character, Bhairava, is a symbol of the deep-rooted anger and frustration of a suppressed community in Rayalaseema. Bhairava Geetha draws you into its rustic setting and will keep you on your toes. The authenticity of the backdrop and the consistent tension in the narrative are the film’s biggest assets and you’ll know when you watch it on the big screen.”

Dhananjay says that he wouldn’t want to identify himself as a hero or a villain in the film. “Every character in the film is crucial to the story and it’s beautiful to watch how they merge into the ambience. It might be a simple story at the end of the day, but director Siddhartha has presented it with an emotional charge. It is a commercial film that has been made very realistically,” he says.

It was RGV who roped in Dhananjay after watching his Kannada film, Tagaru in which he played an antagonist. “RGV had come to Bengaluru to watch the film and then cast me in Bhairava Geetha. He showed me a few visuals that Siddhartha had shot prior to my shoot. I was spellbound by the intensity and was further surprised when I realised he’s a 23-year-old, who didn’t have any direction experience in the past but for a stint as an assistant editor. I listened to the story and I didn’t want to miss out on an opportunity to act in a good Telugu film backed by RGV.”

Language wasn’t a concern for the Kannada-speaking actor. “What really convinced me was the passion of this film unit and I was inspired to perform well here. I bonded big time with the team, including writer Ram Vamsi and cinematographer Jagadeesh Cheekati, who were instrumental in building the right context and mood to the scenes,” he adds.

Produced by Abhishek Nama, Bhasker Rashi under Abhishek Pictures, presented by Ram Gopal Varma, Bhairava Geetha releases today.