Garadi to capture the traditional sport of wrestling on screen

Yogaraj Bhat’s upcoming project, Garadi, starring Yashas Surya, Sujay Beluru, Sonal Monterio and actor-politician BC Patil, was wrapped up recently and the team is now planning to complete post-production work and release the film in the next few months.
Director Yogaraj Bhat says, “Garadi was planned even before Gaalipata-2, but we kept fine-tuning the script several times because we wanted to cover all the elements of the sport as well as wrestlers’ lives. I am extremely happy with the way the film has turned out. BC Patil, director Soori and composer Hari Krishna have also contributed to the film, which is why it has come out well.”

“Back in the days, Garadi Mane used to be parallel with police stations. In fact, wrestling is a pioneer in action sport. Wrestlers are physically very strong, but they have a softer, emotional side, too. They are mostly poor, and sometimes helpless. We have explored all this and more in Garadi,” Yogaraj shares.
He says that leading man Yashas learnt the sport to provide authenticity to the film. “Yashas has put in a lot of effort. In the film, he is banned from wrestling. What happens after this is the story. It is like a Drona-Eklavya story and BC Patil plays his guru,” he says.
Despite being a serious film, Garadi will have all the quirkiness of a Yogaraj Bhat film, the director says. “Garadi is also my signature film, but with some seriousness. The signature style of a director is like a cricketer’s batting; it’s hard to score without it! The pattern and texture of the film is unique,” he adds.
Asked if he took any inspiration for the film, Bhat says, “I have seen wrestlers from close quarters in my native; their lives and their food habits left me in awe. Their bodies are huge and, as a kid, I really liked observing them. When they passed, I would touch them to see if they were made of stone! So, all these memories did come back to me when we decided to make the film. It is a clean film, and can be watched multiple times.”