INTERVIEW: Tharun Sudhir Says Content, Not Language, Decides Success; Shares How Elumale Grew Into Pan-India Project

- Report: Ravikumar MK

With Elumale, Kannada cinema is set to deliver another compelling story rooted in local culture but appealing to audiences beyond regional boundaries. Directed by Punit Rangaswamy and co-produced by Tharun Kishore Sudhir, the film is a cross-border romance crafted like a real-life thriller. In a conversation with ETV Bharat, producer Tharun Kishore Sudhir, who also serves as the film's creative head, speaks about the making of Elumale, his vision of pushing Kannada cinema beyond regional borders, and whether pan-India projects are already in the pipeline.

Q: When did the director narrate the story of Elumale to you? What made you want to make this film?

- "When I was making Kaatera, Puneet Rangaswamy was part of our direction team. He often shared a few stories. At that time, he suggested doing a love story with this backdrop (Elumale). We liked the story and worked on the script for a year. Initially, I had no plans of producing the film. But when the story impressed me, I discussed it with producer Atlanta Nagendra. He said, 'Let's produce it ourselves.' That's how Elumale began."

Q: Elumale is a regional story. Did you plan it as a pan-India film?

- "This is a story that reaches everyone. It's a borderline love story, set along the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border. That's why we thought of making it in three languages. We first shot in Kannada. Now people from other languages are also demanding it. So, we are currently working on two additional languages."

Q: How helpful were the paid premiere shows for Elumale?

- "No matter how much promotion you do, people only notice release news or trailers. But when you organise paid premieres, you get genuine feedback. Two days before release, we held shows in Bengaluru and Mysuru. The positive word-of-mouth from those audiences helped a lot, and by Friday, the film received even better responses. When you make a content-driven film, audiences come to theatres. Otherwise, they won't. Paid premiere shows worked really well for us."

Q: How helpful is releasing a film at the pan-India level?

- "In pan-India releases, audiences get the film in their own languages. But success comes only if the content is strong. Before anything else, script and content are most important."

Q: After success in Kannada, how are the Telugu and Tamil releases progressing?

- "We've been in talks with two prestigious production houses. Things are moving forward. Both houses liked the content and asked for a week's time. They plan to release it on a grand scale. We will release it in Telugu and Tamil next week."

Q: Since Elumale carries Kannada culture, will audiences in other states accept it when released pan-India?

- "When we say pan-India, I believe if we present our culture and content freshly, people from other languages will like it. In other states, we must serve our own cuisine. If we serve their cuisine, no one will come. They will say, 'We already have this here.' Our food, style - everything must be ours. Opening a hotel there is just the job. If we present our stories in a unique way, audiences across languages will surely accept them."

Q: Do films have language barriers? How important is language, according to you?

- "With OTT platforms, everyone watches all films in all languages. If the story is good, people watch even dubbed versions. They also watch with English subtitles. Today, there are no language barriers for cinema."

About Elumale

Elumale, directed by Puneet Rangaswamy, stars Raana as the male lead and Mahanati fame Priyanka Achar as the female lead. The supporting cast includes Jagapathi Babu, Nagabharana, Kishore Kumar, Sardar Satya, and Jagappa.

Set in the Karnataka–Tamil Nadu border region, the romantic drama has been produced by Tharun Kishore Sudhir, with Atlanta Nagendra as co-producer. The film's technical team features Advaita Gurumurthy (cinematography), KM Prakash (editing), Nagarjuna Sharma (lyrics), Puneet Rangaswamy (dialogues), and D Imman (music).

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