Beyond Bigg Boss: Shine Shetty speaks about starting afresh with ‘Shankarabharanna’

(from left) Director Sumanth Bhat, actors Tanvi Ram and Shine Shetty promise a wholesome entertainer with ‘Shankarabharanna’. | Photo Credit: RAVICHANDRAN N Shine Shetty rose to fame as the winner of Bigg Boss Kannada in 2020. It took him a while to realise that television popularity is temporary. To establish himself in the film industry, he had to start afresh. That’s when Ranggasthala Studios was born, Shine’s production company in association with Divakar Shetty and Gururaj Kulkarni. The banner’s first project is Shankarabharanna, a horror comedy set in coastal Karnataka and starring Shine in the lead.“A lot of people told me that Bigg Boss would tarnish my image. I didn’t see the show as everybody did. I tried to set an example by being a good contestant and doing the right things inside the house. That’s why Season 7 stands out,” says Shine, adding that not many have been able to capitalise on the fame from the reality show. “Your success isn’t forever. You are in the limelight only till the next edition of Bigg Boss begins.”Shine was aware of his strong following, but his acting career didn’t start as strongly as he expected. His food truck endeavour, ‘Galli Kitchen’, helped him stay afloat during the challenging phase. After a few missteps in cinema, he realised the value of one credible project that could make the industry sit up and take notice.“Thanks to Galli Kitchen, I let go of projects I didn’t believe in. Of course, I made some wrong decisions too. That said, I wanted to do something that would make people feel that they did the right thing by rooting for me in Bigg Boss. Shankarabharanna is that film.” Actor-producer Shine Shetty. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT After penning the story, Shine roped in Sumanth Bhat to helm the project. For Sumanth, 2026 is a special year, having won the National Award for the Best Kannada Feature Film for his debut Mithya. However, Shankarabharanna is Sumanth’s litmus test.“It’s one thing to make a movie, travel to international festivals, and win several awards. But it’s a different ball game to distribute the movie to the masses and reach every small centre of the state,” says Sumanth, reflecting on the movie’s limited release and lukewarm run in theatres. “Art for art’s sake is a romantic thing to say. However, when the reality dawns upon you, you understand that art is commerce first. If a film made on such a shoestring budget cannot recover its money, then you need to rethink your choices. I decided to find my audience first.” Shine Shetty on the sets of ‘Shankarabharanna’. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT Having made an unconventional movie, Sumanth had to adapt to the commercial cinema grammar for Shankarabharanna. “That learning happened on the go,” says the director. “When you are directing actors, be it independent film or a mainstream movie, emotions have to work. You have to get the best performance from your actors. The only difference in this movie was to make it more palatable to a larger audience. So, I had to work on the staging of scenes and build rhythm through edits,” he explains.After watching Mithya, Shine was confident in Sumanth’s abilities. “Mithya is a poignant drama about a troubled childhood. Every parent and cinephile must watch it. Interestingly, Adolescence, the Netflix serieswith a similar theme, was celebrated more. Those who haven’t seen Mithya should give it a chance,” says Shine, of the Kannada movie produced by Rakshit Shetty.Shankarabharanna marks the Kannada debut of actor Tanvi Ram, who has acted in prominent Malayalam movies such as 2018 (2023), Kappela (2020), Thallumaala (2022) and Ambili (2019). The team’s professionalism seems to have impressed Tanvi, who feels the script of the film retained its strength after being translated to the screen. “I have seen the movie multiple times, and it keeps me hooked on every viewing,” says Tanvi, who plays a Kannada-speaking Malayali in the movie.The songs of Shankarabharanna have set the right tone for the movie. Sumanth hails composer Charan Raj as a natural talent. “Charan is a genius. He can produce two- to three-minute pieces from one piano note effortlessly. Sometimes, he works for an entire day and delivers something moving. One quality about him is that he doesn’t discriminate between projects. He approaches a Sapta Saagaradaache Ello with the same passion he did Shankarabharanna. He will do all projects with equal love. Even if he does a movie he isn’t a consumer of, he will give his 100 per cent.” Published - November 14, 2026 11:24 am IST