Nag Venkat with the cast and crew during the shoot
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Nag Venkat is a Bengaluru-based software engineer, who renounced his decade-long career in the IT capital to dive into the world of cinema. Having a passion to tell stories, Venkat always knew that he would end up making films. “Or at least doing something in this field,” says the director over a call from Hyderabad where he is finishing the last leg of editing his Kannada film, Kailasa Kasidre. 

Venkat makes his debut as writer-director with Kailasa Kasidre, which releases on March 8. The film revolves around a carefree boy named Deepak, whose life takes a turn when he meets Anjali, a software engineer. The two get embroiled in the world of drugs. When the police get to know of their involvement, it turns out to be a cat-and-mouse game with action, romance and comedy all blended in.

Following his dreams : Nag Venkat
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Hailing from Bellary, Venkat was educated in Andhra Pradesh and made Bengaluru his home when he landed a job in a software company here. He describes the film as a mix of multiple genres. “There is drama, romance, comedy and crime. I was inspired by the drug bust that happened in Hyderabad in 2007. A lot of big names were supposed to be involved and it became big news. That captivated me and I dived into the subject. I wanted to use the material in an entertaining manner and Kailasa Kasidre was born.”

He worked as an executive producer with the Telugu web series Lingababu Love Stories and made a few short films including Murder @ 10am in Telugu. Venkat says he chose to make his debut with a Kannada film. “I have many friends in Andhra Hyderabad and could have made a film in any language. This film has newcomers and in Telugu, making a film without a star is tough to pull off. Whereas in Kannada, content-led low budget films are also well-received.”

Venkat describes Bengaluru as a place where people watch films in all languages. “The audience is intelligent, well informed and open to new concepts.”

The poster of the film
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Venkat quit his job in 2017 when he realised people binged on the content available on streaming services. “Filmmakers were telling new stories and the audience was receptive. That is when I felt I had a chance to carve a niche for myself.”

After quitting his job, Venkat got busy writing stories, attending screenplay and filmmaking workshops, and being part of seminars in film festivals across the country.

Kailasa Kasidre features Ravi Kiran (Tarakasura) and Sukanya Girish playing the leads. The duo are supported by Suraj, Ninasam Ashwath, Lokesh KV Akarsh. The film is produced by Wasiq Alsaad, while the cinematography is by Vinod Rajendran and music by Ashic Arun. “Wasiq is an Anantapur based entrepreneur-businessman. Kailasa Kasidre is his debut venture in the Kannada Film Industry.”