Director Rakshith Kumar’s debut film Jungle Mangle is set to release across Karnataka on July 4. The film, positioned as a light-hearted thriller, revolves around a young couple and the challenges they face during a single day in the forest.
According to the director, Jungle Mangle is a fictional story woven around real events and characters. “Nature has the power to destroy evil—that’s one of the core ideas we’ve tried to convey,” says Rakshith Kumar. He adds that the characters and incidents depicted in the film are based on reality but are merged into a fictional narrative. “The people shown in the film are from the coastal region. There have been real-life cases where young couples, while in forests, have encountered villagers. In North India, such people are often referred to as ‘Jungle Mein Mangal’,” he explains.
Rakshith Kumar, who has been active in the film and television industry for eight years, makes his directorial debut with this project. He studied acting at Suchitra Institute with the goal of becoming a director. After working in theatre, he moved on to television serials and eventually worked as an assistant and co-director in several Tulu and Kannada films before taking up Jungle Mangle as his first independent project.
The film features actors from the coastal region. Rakshith states that he wrote the story first and then selected the cast based on real people and personalities he had observed over the years. Yash Shetty, whom Rakshith has known for over a decade, plays the lead. Ugram Manju was chosen for the role of Babu, while a Bengaluru-based actress was cast as the female lead.
The entire story unfolds in Madappady village, located in the Sullia taluk. According to the team, the area is remote and accessible only by jeep. The village has around 40 houses. The film crew received assistance from local jeep drivers, who offered help during their free time, knowing that a film was being shot in their village.
Rakshith Kumar credits director Simple Suni for his support. “He not only appreciated our film but also asked how he could help. Many people he has introduced have established good reputations in the industry. That’s when we requested that he present our film under his banner, and he readily agreed,” says Rakshith.
