The Blue Whale Challenge is a deadly game which resulted in the deaths of many youngsters, who attempted the game, all over the world. “Maya Kannadi’, a Kannada film which is all set to release this year, has taken this deadly game as its subject. Prabhu Mundkur, who hails from Udupi, plays the lead and in an exclusive interview with Newskarnataka.com, spoke about his role and some special moments in the film. Here are some excerpts:

What is your role in the film?

I play the protagonist of the film- Sandy, who is a college student affected by the deadly Blue Whale Challenge. Sandy sees many deaths around him and gets the shock of his life when his girlfriend too, gets involved in the game. The story is about how Sandy tries to solve the mystery behind this deadly game.

How did you get cast for the role?

I was shooting for a film called “Mysore Diaries” when I got a call from an associate director of “Maya Kannadi”. Although the project had been announced, they had not fixed the male lead. They were impressed by my performance in “Urvi” and felt that I was the right actor to play Sandy. I was impressed with the script so I straight away gave my dates for the film.

How did you feel working with debutant director Vinod Poojary?

Vinod Poojary is producing and also making his debut as a director with this film. He has completed a filmmaking course at Prague Institute. Even though this is his first film, he was very confident of handling the project. He handled the pre-production work perfectly and the film was executed very well. Making a debut with the Blue Whale Challenge as the theme is surely a gamble and I can say that Vinod has passed with flying colours.

Who forms the cast and crew of the film?

Kaajal Kunder and Anvitha Sagar play the female leads of the film. Sridhar of “Mufti” fame and Ashwin Rao of “Kirik Party” fame also have pivotal roles in the film. S N Abhishek has composed the music for the film and I am sure that his work will be the most talked about feature after the audio release. Anand Raja Vikram scored the background music for the film.

How has the response been to the film’s poster?

The film poster introducing my character was released a few weeks back. It was met with good response and I received positive feedback from my fans, as well as, industry colleagues. The poster was made by Praveen. We will soon be releasing more posters.

What, do you feel, was the best moment while shooting for “Maya Kannadi”?

I have a vertigo problem. I am scared of heights and for a particular sequence in the film, I had to be on the 33rd floor of an under-construction building. I took it up as a challenge and was able to perform the scene well. I have to admit that even though I performed the scene, I am still afraid of heights, however, the fear has reduced a little.

When will the film be released?

The film will be released this year and an official announcement in this regard will be made soon.

Do you have any future projects lined up?

I have already had one release- “Daughter of Parvathamaa”. I will most probably be having four more releases this year. “Mysore Diaries”, “Relax Satya”, “Maya Kannadi” and “Ranchi” are all expected to release this year. All these projects are of different genres and I have played roles that are quite different from each other.