Actor-director-producer Rakshit Shetty’s production house Paramvah Studios on Thursday launched a song, which has been 10 years in the making, from one of the much-awaited Kannada films from its stable, ‘Ibbani Tabbida Ileyali’, on the occasion of World Music Day on June 21.
The song, ‘Oh Anahita’, featuring actors Vihan and Ankita Amar, is a nod to 1990s Bollywood, its director Chandrajith Belliappa said. He lists Shah Rukh Khan as one of his biggest influences in wanting to make films.
A software programmer who worked for SAP Labs for more than three years before quitting and embracing films full time, Belliappa said the song was written and composed by him 10 years ago, just for fun.
“It fit the mood of the film, so we decided to use this song. But the other five songs for the film are by music director Gagan Baderiya. The film is a musical. ‘Oh Anahita’ lasts 6 minutes, 30 seconds. This is the first content we are putting out,” said Belliappa.
The whimsical title of the film literally means, ‘In the Dew Kissed Land’, the director, who grew up in Madikeri, Coorg, said.
“The English title of the script when I wrote was, "Dew drops, sunshine and a blade of grass". And then I came across ‘Ibbani Tabbida Ileyali’, an old Kannada song. It had the intended essence, so I used it,” Belliappa added.
‘Ibbani Tabbida Ileyali’ is Belliappa’s first full-length feature film. His first attempt at direction was for an anthology, ‘Katha Sangama’, a pet project of Rishab Shetty, who conceptualised the film as an ode to legendary Kannada film director Late Puttana Kanagal.
Kanagal also made a film of the same name in 1976. Belliappa is one of the seven directors who were part of this anthology.
He was one of the writers for Rakshit Shetty’s treasure hunt caper ‘Avane Srimannarayana’ and writer and assistant director of one of the biggest all-time Kannada hits ‘Kirik Party’.
Belliappa said cinematographer of ‘Ibbani Tabbida Ileyali’, Srivathsan Selvarajan, who graduated from New York Film Academy, was part of the US Motion Picture Academy’s Oscar Gold Rising Programme (2023 batch).
“He was the only Indian among 25 people chosen from across the world. So, I am really happy that he makes his debut with my film,” Belliappa said.
‘Ibbani Tabbida Ileyali’ is also the film that actor Girija Shettar of ‘Gitanjali’ fame, who left filmdom after a handful of films despite her instant stardom, chose to make a comeback.
In an exclusive interview to PTI, she had said, “There were three reasons for my agreeing to act in ‘Ibbani’: I identified with my character Madhumita because I had had similar experiences in the very recent past, I found the story unique and charming, and the dialogue intelligent, and thirdly, it was being made by an excellent production company, Paramvah, and a very sincere and talented young film director, Chandrajith.” Belliappa said now that ‘Oh Anahita’ gives the audience an idea about the visual and soundscape of the film, hopefully they’ll hit the theatres when the film is released.
“The song, which celebrates the magic of love, is intended to send across a message that ‘Ibbani Tabbida Ileyali’ is made for theatres, meant to be enjoyed on the large screen. We are not yet sure when exactly the film will be released, but I am guessing in a couple of months,” he said.
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