Edagaiye Apaghatakke Karana’s Diganth: I have never catered to any other section but the multiplex crowd

Diganth explains that his new film, which is in theatres now, is an urban comedy; a film that he took up because he absolutely loved the script.

Kannada actor Diganth’s latest theatrical release, Edagaiye Apaghatakke Karana, has him playing a left-hander, who gets caught in a series of mishaps, sparked by his left-handedness. The dark comedy suspense thriller, directed by Samarth B Kadkol, has Diganth reuniting with his Pancharangi co-star Nidhi Subbaiah (of Ajab Gazab Love fame), and introduces newbie Dhanu Harsha to Kannada cinema.

Diganth in Edagaiye Apaghatakke Karana

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Going by the trailer and the promotional material of Edagaiye Apaghatakke Karana, the impression one gets is that the film is a comedy that is likely to appeal to an urban audience and not a wider section like how Upadhyaksha and Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare did. “Edagaiye Apaghatakke Karana is, most definitely, an urban comedy and not like Upadhyaksha,” says Diganth. But then, isn’t the team limiting itself by being classified a ‘multiplex film’? Also, given that this exactly the audience that is shunning theatres these days, does that not put them on the backfoot?

Diganth: I did Edagaiye Apaghatakke Karana because I loved the script

“I don’t think I have ever catered to any other section, but the multiplex crowd. Even when I did Manasaare and Pancharangi, it was more of a family audience kind of comedy and drama, it was never massy or the kind that reached all the people in Karnataka. I’ve never done the below-the-belt kind of comedy,” explains Diganth. The actor, who has not had a great box office run with most of his recent releases, including Laughing Buddha, Marigold, Bachelor Party, etc., adds that Edagaiye Apaghatakke Karana is one of those films that he did because he loved the script and not because he had bills to pay.

Has there been a shift in the kind of films/roles he’s been picking up? He is, after all, also a part of the upcoming gangster flick Uttarakaanda, led by Shivarajkumar and Dhananjaya. “Uttarakaanda is the first film in which I have tried something different with my look and general appearance, a more rugged, ghutka-chewing thug. That’s a film I am super excited about,” he says, and adds, “Like I have said earlier, I am now free to experiment; I can do whatever I want in terms of the projects I do. Having said that, Uttarakaanda and Edagaiye Apaghatakke Karana were conscious choices to try something different, as is my upcoming film with the makers of Shakhahaari, Kinnara Jogi, in which I play a street magician.”