Sandalwood created a record with the highest number of releases for a calendar year crossing the 200 mark for the first time, ending the year on a high note with a total of 230 films. The icing on the cake was the enormous success of KGF, which released in five languages which is said to have made it to the `100 crore club in less than two weeks. The year 2019 too has big budget movies and other anticipated films lined up. Numerous new filmmakers and commercial ventures are scheduled to release in 2019. Among the eagerly awaited ones are the first part of the Birbal Trilogy, Natasaarvabhowma, Yejamana, Kavacha, Butterfly, Rakshit Shetty and Shanvi Srivastava in Avane Srimannarayana, Kavaludaari, Chambal, and scores of films starring Hariprriya in women-centric subjects, Kurukshetra, Phailwaan, Amar, I Love You, Kavacha, Bharaate, Pogaru, Damayanti, and many more.

Bengaluru Chronicle picks the most awaited roles and the actors that we can see in new avatars.





DURYODHYANA from Munirathna’s Kurukshetra
Challenging Star Darshan plays the mythological character of Duryodhana from the Indian epic Mahabharata. Directed by Naganna, the movie is one of the most anticipated. It is also being made in 3D. The huge star cast for the film include Crazy Star Ravichandra, Rebel Star Ambareesh, Arjun Sarja, Sneha, Meghana Raj, Hariprriya, Bharathi Vishnuvardhan, Nikhil and others. His other movies Yejamana and Odeya are also expected to release this year.

“I was initially skeptical when the producer approached me for this movie. But the sole credit goes to the producer Munirathna, who made this movie possible. With limited time, we all managed to get ready for the shooting and also did a bit of home work. It was indeed challenging but with some preparations with regards to spoken language comprising of old Kannada and Sanskrit, I was able to pull it off,” says the hero Darshan.

PHAILWAAN
After KGF, this film from Kichcha Sudeepa sees the strapping hero portray the role of a kusti patu/wrestler, and it has been in the news. Directed by Krishna, the movie which is releasing in at least nine languages is said to be one of the most expensive Kannada movies in the making. This one also marks Suniel Shetty’s Sandalwood debut.

“A universal subject such as sport, appeals to all, and this is why the movie is being released in multiple languages. For the first time ever, I hit the gym in my acting career. It has been a great pleasure to be a part of the maker’s dream,” said Kichcha Sudeepa.

AMAR
While there have been several actors who made their debut, this one is quite special for Sandalwood. The son of Rebel Star Ambareesh and actress Sumalatha Ambareesh, Abhishek, is making his debut in Amar. It is a film to to watch out for. Its title is inspired by Ambareesh’s real name Amarnath, the romantic venture mixed with commercial elements is directed by Nagashekar. Produced by Sandhesh Nagaraj, Amar is expected to release soon. Abhishek underwent rigorous martial arts training to suit his debut character. A special private screening of the work done so far was done for the Rebel Star after he had wished to watch his son on the big screen. He passed away a couple of months after that.

“My parents were happy when I decided to act, especially my father. I am doing my best to deliver justice and make my parents proud, and I couldn’t have asked for more with the movie title being Amar. The director has worked hard in webbing a perfect story which appeals to every section of the audience,” Abhishek elaborated.

ROCKY BHAI from KGF Chapter 2
After the humongous success of KGF’s first chapter, the second chapter has received enough curiosity among fans. As earlier scheduled, the second chapter is planned for a 2019 release. Rocking Star Yash who plays the role of Rocky Bhai has become a household name with KGF, leaving even Shah Rukh Khan’s Zero, trailing at the box office.

“All our hard work has paid off. It gives me great satisfaction when four years of hard work is appreciated by the audience across various languages. It inspires us to do the best. The credit goes to the director Prashanth Neel and producer Vijay Kiragandur.”Yash said.

YUVARATHNA
After giving fans one of the most successful ventures Raajakumara directed by Santhosh Anandraam, the hit jodi of Puneeth Rajkumar and the director along with Hombale Films are back with another anticipated film Yuvarathna.

“After Raajakumara, I am happy to be part of the same team. It obviously comes with huge expectations and hence the director took almost a year working on the Yuvarathna movie. It is special that the title has been launched by the fans, and I hope that the movie will meet their expectations,” Puneeth Rajkumar said, sharing his hopes about the film.