Having started his career in television and then appearing in supporting roles before becoming a Kannad cinema A-lister, Yash is considered to be the ‘Sivakrthikeyan of Sandalwood’. Yash, son of a state transport bus driver who ran away from home in Mysuru to become an actor, is gearing up for the release of his upcoming film KGF (Kolar Gold Fields) —Chapter 1 in five languages —Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi. The actor, who was in the city for the promo of the film releasing through Vishal’s home banner Vishal Film Factory, tells us that KGF has universal appeal and at Rs 80 crore is the costliest film ever made in Kannada.
“KGF is a period film set in ’70s and ’80s with the backdrop of gold mines. The film talks about illegal gold mining, the struggle of workers and the quest for power and money. It’s a fictionalised story with universal appeal.”
The actor plays a boy raised in Mumbai who comes to Kolar. “I am a fan of Amitabh Bachchan sir’s ’70s and ’80s movies and Salim-Javed’s early Bollywood films. That influence will be there in Mumbai portion of KGF. And being a period set, I totally indulged in costumes which were in vogue in that period namely bell bottoms, big sized belts and sunglasses etc.”
Huge sets resembling Kolar Gold Fields were erected for the shoot. “We recreated the sets at the KGF dump yard and shot for 150 days there.” Yash reveals that Vishal is releasing this film in Tamil as they share a good friendship. “He knew about KGF and would always ask for updates. He liked the film and is distributing it in Tamil without expecting anything in return. But I am not going to leave it like that.”
Lead lady Srinidhi said, “This is my first film and I play the character of Reena, a rich and arrogant girl. My portions will be more in Chapter 2 than in one.” The movie directed by Prashanth has Tamannah shaking her leg for a club number.
