BENGALURU, 6 AUG

Filmmaker and producer Pawan Kumar, best known for his cult Kannada film 'Lucia', will be seen in a full-fledged lead role in ZEE5’s upcoming original web series 'Shodha'.

“I was drawn to the script mostly. It has a good plot and a lot of room for performance. I thought, why not,” Kumar told PTI.

Kumar made his directorial debut with 'Lifeu Ishtene' (2011), a dark comedy that won both critical and popular acclaim. He followed it up with the psychological thriller 'Lucia' (2013), which marked a turning point in Kannada independent cinema. His 2016 film 'U-Turn' was also a critical and commercial success.

After the success of 'U-Turn' in Kannada, the film was remade in Tamil and Telugu in 2018 with Samantha Ruth Prabhu playing the lead. Pawan Kumar directed both versions. It was later remade in Hindi with Alaya F, with the rights sold to Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms.

In 2023, he directed the Malayalam film 'Dhoomam', starring Fahadh Faasil, which, however, failed to make a lasting impact.

Kumar said he has been acting "here and there" over the years, though he still prefers directing. He was last seen in a cameo in the 2023 Kannada comedy 'Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare'.

“I also acted in a Telugu web series I directed in 2021, 'Kudi Yedamaithe'. But in 'Shodha', I am playing the lead,” he said.

'Kudi Yedamaithe', a science fiction thriller conceived during the Covid-induced lockdown, starred Amala Paul and Rahul Vijay.

Kumar expressed appreciation for platforms like ZEE5 supporting original Kannada content. ZEE5 recently premiered its first Kannada web series, 'Ayyane Mane', in April.

“It’s not easy to convince major streaming platforms to back Kannada content. So, it becomes our responsibility as Kannada creators to keep the momentum going. That’s partly why I agreed to act when director Sunil Mysuru approached me,” he said.

Sunil, who directs 'Shodha', previously worked as an assistant on 'Lucia', Kumar added.

“Even the cast—they’re all people I really vibe with. So we had fun putting this series together. Hopefully, it will be well received by the audience, too,” said Kumar.

The seven-episode web series 'Shodha' will premiere on ZEE5 on 22 August.