Tota to play a cop in his Kannada debut

Tota Roy Choudhury is making a foray into the Kannada film industry. The actor will be seen in Shashikanth Gatti’s Ranchi, which is based on the filmmaker’s real-life experience.
As a struggling director, Shashikanth had risked his life and career when he took up a government documentary movie project offer, only to unearth a well-oiled interstate crime syndicate.“The film is based on a true story and has been penned by me. This incident happened with me in 2009,” said the director. Tota will be seen in a pivotal role along with well-known Kannada actor Prabhu Mundkur, who is the male lead. Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy alias Sindhu Murthy, who is a debutant in Kannada mainstream cinema, is also part of the cast.
Tota, who is excited about his first Kannada project, said, “Shashikanth is renowned for his work. I’m playing the character of Pravin Kumar, a policeman who was considered a lion in Ranchi. He was a soft, well-spoken man with a fair judgement towards everything. But he was strict as and when required. He was the one who put an end to all the underworld works in Ranchi.”
When we asked Shashikanth the reason behind zeroing in on Tota for the role, he said, “Tota is a popular actor from Bengal. I loved his performances in the short film Ahalya and Helicopter Eela. I was looking for a suitable actor for the role of a senior superintendent of police. Initially, I had two Bollywood actors — KK Menon and Atul Kulkarni — in mind. But both turned out to be busy. While returning from Mumbai, I happened to meet director Ashoke Pandit at the airport. I told him about the reason for my Mumbai visit. That is when he suggested I should consider Tota for this role.”
The filmmaker said he was really impressed with Tota’s mannerisms and understanding of acting and cinema. “Not just Ranchi, he is part of my next film, Ekka Raja Rani, too,” he added.
Tota is leaving no stone unturned to make his character look as real as possible. For this, he even got in touch with Praveen’s wife, Puja Singh. “I spoke to her to understand how Praveen was in his personal life. According to his wife, he was a loving husband and extremely well-read. I will try my best to portray the character in the most authentic way possible,” the actor said.
The music of the film will be composed by Sandeep Chowta of Satya and Company fame along with Alwyn Fernandes. The shoot will commence in Ranchi on November 19.