After the hit ‘Elumale’, another Kannada film set around the Male Mahadeshwara Hills in the making

After the success of the recent thriller Elumale, another Kannada film set against the backdrop of the Male Mahadeshwara Hills is in the making. The yet-to-be-titled movie is being planned by a young team, led by director Rajan. Backed by Ishi Studios, the film is tentatively titled The Story of 77 Hills.

In a unique attempt, Rajan and team recently held a pitch video screening for cinephiles and industry members in Bengaluru. “We got a tremendous response for the pitch video. The idea of inviting the general audience along with producers and investors worked out well for us,” Rajan told The Hindu.

The movie is touted to be a social folk drama representing the life of the people in the MM Hills region located in Chamarajanagara district. “It’s a story of a neglected village and community that finds its light through an outcast protagonist, the bearer of a prophecy. We aim to deliver an engaging mainstream film on a relevant theme,” Rajan said.

The first-time filmmaker opened up on the process of making a pitch video to attract investors. “To showcase the scale and vision of the movie, I shortened the three-hour-long script into 12 minutes. It is backed by years of research I did to understand the life, culture, and beliefs of people living in the MM hills region. The 12-minute pitch video story carries the essence of the folk tale of the deity Male Madeshwara.”

Shot on live locations, the pitch video was a learning experience, added Rajan. “I had to take necessary permissions from the concerned departments to shoot in the village situated amidst the forest. We took about 50 people from Bengaluru to the MM hills and shot for two days.”

The film aims to showcase the unexplored and picturesque landscapes of the region, the unwavering faith in the deity Male Mahadeshwara and the vibrant folk culture of the region. The team is happy with the response it received from the screening.

“We had guests like actors Sudharani ma’am and Rajesh Natranga sir. Sudharani ma’am found the idea of screening a pitch video to a large set of audience unique and added that it could become a new trend in the Kannada film industry. Rajesh Nataranga sir was impressed by our plan to tell a rooted story on a large scale.”

Actor Sudharani during the pitch-video screening.
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Written by Abhilash, Murali Krish, and Abhishek Iyengar, along with Rajan, and set to be shot by Jeevan, the movie has music from K Hemanth Kumar. The background score is one of the highlights of the pitch video. “Music is the soul of the film. Chamarajanagara has a rich history of folk arts. The city is called the Janapada Tavaruru (a home for folk arts) of Karnataka.

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“We have featured slogans and chants of Male Mahadeshwara, sung by Devaraguddaru, the ardent followers of the deity, aiming to provide a vibrant folk music experience.”

Although the initial plan was to use the movie to mark the acting debut of Rajan, the team is currently open to collaborating with other leading actors. Thanks to the impressive response to the pitch video, the team has begun their pre-production process with the aim to go othe n floors in the next couple of months. The pitch video screening seemed to have opened conversations with various producers and investors, and they are likely to collaborate with the project.