Bengaluru rolled out the red carpet, quite literally, for Lambodhara 2.0, which hit theatres this week. The film’s special screening at Director’s Cut, Forum Rex Walk, was a grand affair, with the team taking over all the screens at the multiplex. A Cannes-style red carpet set the tone for an evening that brought together an eclectic mix of personalities from the city’s corporate, political, film and fashion circles.Entrepreneur Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and actor Suniel Shetty played hosts alongside debutant writer-producer-actor Anil Shetty and director Simple Suni. The guest list included entrepreneur Rishad Premji, Israel’s Consul General Orli Weitzman and her husband Ilan Weitzman, film producers Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar, Venkat K Narayan, Pragati Shetty and actors Sriimurali, Nishvika Naidu, Shanvi Srivastava, Shwetha Srivatsav and Asha Bhat, among others. The political contingent included NA Haris, his son Mohammed Nalapad and Ashwath Narayan, while the city’s cultural and social circles were represented by Mohandas Pai, V Ravichander and Prasad Bidapa, among several other familiar faces.
Until we make the movie, it is under our control. But the day we put it on the big screen, we surrender it to the audience. Whatever verdict they give, we accept
Anil Shetty
The film’s cast and crew, including actors Kunal Kapoor, Saachi Bindra, Mac D’Souza and Meghana Gaonkar, joined the celebrations. The team mingled with guests over hi-tea before the screenings and also made their way around the individual screens during the interval.
When you believe in yourself, everything is possible. You might win in some things and learn in others. In today’s world, where network is net worth, and with the goodwill that Anil has accumlated, he is probably one of the most connected guys I have known in my life
Suniel Shetty
For me, this was a completely new genre, and the script was exciting. I learnt a lot about hacking. In fact, our editor on the project was almost like a hacker — he knew how to work around websites. What we see of the digital world from the outside is nothing compared to how deep it goes. I learnt so much about this world while working on the film
Simple Suni
Speaking about his transition into filmmaking, Anil admitted that stepping in front of the camera without any formal acting experience was daunting. “I was extremely nervous because I had never trained in acting. On the first day of the shoot, I kept looking at the camera. We actually discarded almost half of what we had shot that day. The director finally told me to take a break and get trained. I went home and told myself that, from the next day, I simply wouldn’t look at the camera. We eventually completed the shoot in a record 50 days,” he said.Acknowledging the people who backed his leap into cinema, Anil summed up the support behind the project with a line that drew particular resonance: “I am not a self-made person. I am a people-made person.”
Anil is an unusually bold entrepreneur. Whether it is writing the script of this very interesting film or taking on something completely new, he is a multifaceted person. What endears him to all of us is that he is such a sincere and authentic friend. That’s why we all back him. I was very impressed with the storyline, which I think is very Gen Z. The first half has a mix of comedy and emotion, but the second half picks up in a very different way. It’s really racy
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
