Rajendra Singh Babu to direct movie based on Kambala

Kambala, as a tradition, where buffaloes are made to race through slushy paddy fields, continues to be a contentious issue, with animal rights activists calling for its ban time and again. As a subject for cinema, though, it is gaining traction. A year ago, filmmaker Nikhil Manjoo had announced a project featuring

Kambala

jockey

Srinivas Gowda

, who supposedly sprinted faster than Usain Bolt. Now, it is the turn of veteran director SV Rajendra Singh Babu to bring his vision on the subject to the big screen. The filmmaker was in

Moodabidri

recently to do recce for his film.
Rajendra Singh Babu says, “Kambala, which has a history of over 500 years, has remained an unexplored topic in Kannada cinema. I have started work on the script based on my research that involved interactions with organisers like K Gunpala Kadamba, the president of

Kambala Academy

and founder secretary of Dakshina Kannada Kambala Committee. Kambala is an integral part of Tulu culture and religious beliefs associated with the race and its preparations will be showcased in the movie.”
Casting, he adds, will be done once he finalises the script for the film that will be made in Kannada and Tulu. What about his other project,

Rajaveera Madakari Nayaka

, then? “I will have a clear picture about when we can go on floors only after March,” he signs off.