‘I want Kannada films to claim big festive release dates’: Krishna on his Ugadi release

Kannada actor-director Krishna is returning to one of his most loved cinematic worlds with the third instalment of the Love Mocktail franchise. Stating that the announcement of the film came rather suddenly, especially after the team of Toxic pushed their release from this date, Krishna says that the team had to move quickly to complete technical processes such as mixing and securing the censor certificate, as he believes Love Mocktail 3 will find its own audience. Speaking about the film’s Bollywood competition that releases on the same day, Krishna says, “I have watched Dhurandar — and I really enjoyed it, and I’m sure the sequel will also be great. But these are two very different films of two different genres with different audiences. Love Mocktail 3 is a Ugadi release, which means families come together and want to spend time. I also believe that Kannada cinema and filmmakers often give these big festive dates to films from other languages. I want to break that with this film.”‘A third sequel in the feel-good film space comes with its own challenges’With Love Mocktail 3, the filmmaker says he wanted to explore something rarely attempted in Indian cinema. “The idea of making Love Mocktail 3 came when we realised that there is no feel-good cinema that has a part three, at least in the Indian film industry,” he says. While comedy, thrillers and mythological films often expand into multiple sequels, he notes that feel-good stories rarely move beyond two parts. However, Krishna admits, “The third film came with its own challenges because we had to make the best one. It took more than three years just to develop at the writing stage. The long creative process was necessary to craft a story that would live up to the emotional resonance of the earlier films. Over the years, I believe I have evolved both as a filmmaker and as a person. When I made Love Mocktail, I was 34 years old. Now, I am 40. I feel the way I look at filmmaking and life has changed. This shift in perspective has positively influenced the film,” he reveals.One of the more demanding aspects of the shoot, according to Krishna, was working with a child actor, Samvrutha, who plays his daughter in the film. “Samvrutha brought both charm and unpredictability to the set. Working with children on sets is not easy.Children require constant care and flexibility during shoots,” he says. He recalls how the young actor would sometimes feel hungry at odd hours, fall asleep, get distracted, or simply want to play on set — occasionally even spending time with his own daughter, Pari. “Despite these small challenges, Samvrutha impressed the team with her professionalism. She is very mature for her age and I would credit her parents for helping her prepare thoroughly for the role,” he adds.