Ulidavaru Kandante was a cult-classic built by first-timers: 10 years of Ulidavaru Kandante

The year was 2014. The trailer of a neo-noir gangster film, written and directed by a debutant, Rakshit Shetty, was receiving wide acclaim from all. Ulidavaru Kandante, the first film of its kind that showcased Tulunadu and its people, went on to gain a cult following.

Ten years since, fans of the film still hold dear its dialogues, music, Richie’s (the character played by Rakshit) swag and the many firsts that the film brought into the industry, including being the first Kannada film to be shot entirely in sync sound. The film hit theatres on March 28 and the team of Ulidavaru Kandante recollect fond memories on its 10th anniversary.
My spiritual journey helped me pen the story: Rakshit
“I had started reading books on the Theosophy Society and Chakras. I was gaining a deeper insight into how people behave under various circumstances and everyone has their own perception about life and its situations. Ulidavaru Kandante thus represented the five elements of life: air, water, fire, space and earth and the characters were written as testimony to them. When my story flowed, it looked beautiful to me because each of these panchabhuthas (five elelements) were done justice to,” explains Rakshit.

Going with the flow was the mantra on the set, says cinematographer Karm Chawla
This film marked cinematographer Karm Chawla’s debut as well. “When I first went on the recce in Malpe, the whole place was dry and brown, as it was summer. When we went for shoot a month and a half later, it was swathed in green by the rains. I then realised that Rakshit didn’t want to hold on to any one particular perception. He liked to go to a place, feel it and then go for it. Digital Intermediate was big then, but Rakshit was clear that all our effects would be natural,” he says.

‘The film had the biggest stars on set’
The team shares that some of the biggest actors of Kannada back then, were working on the film and they turned out to be the most humble of artistes. “Kishore, for instance, would even wash his own plate. He even drove the vehicle with the team and its props to locations without batting an eyelid. His humility blew us over,” shares the team.

‘The film explores the beauty and culture of Tulunadu’
“Tulunadu has some unique cultural flavours and the huli vesha is something I wanted to explore. It is so colourful and the dance so riveting, yet it had not been portrayed on the big screen before. Having grown up watching Ashtami celebrations in Udupi and the quintessential tiger dance during that time, I was keen on showing the streets of Udupi during that time, the bodies of these dancers being painted and the high-octane dance that follows,” shares Rakshit.

‘Dinsal, the fisherman’s song, has always been alluring’
“With Malpe featuring in a major way, the local fisherfolk were also part of my story. During the making of Tughlaq, I had noticed how the fishermen sing a song while pulling their boats on to the shore. It’s called Dinsal and it sounded so alluring. I decided to use this in Ulidavaru Kandante,” says Rakshit.



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