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Exclusive Interview: Nagabhushana And Bhoomi Shetty Open Up About Their Upcoming Comedy Drama Ikkat
As part of its Prime Day celebrations, Amazon Prime Video is all set to present its audience with Ikkat, a hilarious Kannada comedy drama set right in the middle of the lockdown. The highly awaited film promises to take the viewers on a roller-coaster ride filled with some fun and hearty laughter.
Ahead of the film’s release, lead actors Nagabhushana and Bhoomi Shetty had a candid chat with Filmibeat, in which they opened up about the movie, its story, and their shooting experience among other things. Here are the excerpts!
Can you tell us a little bit about Ikkat and what made you take up the film?
Nagabhushana: The title of the movie itself is Ikkat and it has two meanings in Kannada. One meaning of Ikkat means confined space. There is one more meaning which stands for a difficult situation. So, the concept of the movie is a couple decides to divorce the next day and tonight, the lockdown happens. So, what happens next is the movie. This one liner itself is very exciting to hear plus it is the first lockdown movie in Kannada. So, when our directors called, I thought why not be a part of the movie, so that’s why I came on board.
Bhoomi: For me too, it’s the same thing. The one line of the story was itself so damn interesting and it’s a lockdown story, so I had to take up the project.
Can you elaborate a little bit about your characters in the film and how you prepared for your roles?
Bhoomi: We prepared for our characters and rehearsed it for a week. We did workshops and went through our roles. We even prepared for the whole scene kind of like a workshop for the character and then started shooting.
Nagabhushana: To add to this, I was like desperately wanting to act after the lockdown. The pandemic was so stressful, like I just yearned to get back in front of the camera. So, when the directors called, we started to prepare for the character. They wanted me to look like a typical, middle class uncle from a small town for my role. So I went to the salon to get the exact look.
And also, playing a role like this which is so not me is the challenge. I had to even recall some of the mannerisms of my uncles, how they behave, the small-town ones who are very dominating and demanding in nature. So it was definitely fun to get into that body language, it was an exercise for me.
How has the response been so far for the film’s teaser and trailer?
Nagabhushana: We have got very good response because the trailer shows the lockdown. I mean the story plays in the lockdown so everybody can relate to it. Some of my friends called and they could say like some of the dialogues and situations in it as they have experienced it. So, I think everybody can relate to it and yeah, we have received a great response in that regard.
Bhoomi: I mean everybody who all watched the trailer have expressed excitement to watch the movie. They all are really waiting for the movie. And as Nagabhushana said, everybody can relate somewhere or the other with the story. After watching the trailer, they all went like we had this, we have done that and this what happened in the first lockdown. Everybody can connect with one or the other points.
What message would you like to give the audience and what can they expect from the movie?
Nagabhushana: One USP is that the whole movie takes place in a 20 by 30 house. So far, not even for a single scene we went outside the house. Also, who doesn’t want to watch a movie and laugh to keep our mental sanity, which is very important during pandemic. I feel it is very important to entertain ourselves and I am confident that people will relate to our film.
Bhoomi: We have taken a serious subject and have shown in a humorous way. Plus somewhere we all went through the same situation and we can relate to the film and enjoy the story.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected actors and what kind of changes have come into place now?
Bhoomi: So, there are a lot of changes we can see after the pandemic in all fields including acting. I think, for us actors, the opportunities have kind of gone down in number. The competition is also more now. Hence, I feel we have to knock on doors ourselves and open the door and create new opportunities.
Nagabhushana: To add to this, the pandemic has changed everything in many ways in an actor’s life. Like for example, just yesterday, when I was shooting, I had to open my mask and say my dialogues just before action. So, this is kind of a weird feeling. It has been challenging for actors but we have to adopt to this.
Besides Nagabhushana and Bhoomi Shetty, Ikkat also stars RJ Vikki, Sundar Veena, Anand Ninasam and Naveen Chethana in pivotal roles. The comedy entertainer directed by duo Esham and Haseen Khan, is all set to premiere on July 21, 2021 on Amazon Prime Video.
