One of the finest and earliest authentic horror films in Kannada cinema, Naa Ninna Bidalaare (1979), remains refreshing even today due to its content, the performances of Anant Nag and Lakshmi, its direction, music, and special effects.
Now, Ambali Bharathi, a software engineer, takes on a challenging role in the new Naa Ninna Bidalaare. This title has been used for the fourth time in Kannada cinema. The most unforgettable version features the versatile actors Anant Nag and Lakshmi. In 2009, director Venki made a horror film with the same title, and now Hemanth Hegde has chosen it once again. Interestingly, the phrase “Naa Ninna Bidalaare” was also popularized in a song from the Kannada film H2O by Upendra.
Ace comedy actor Sharan, a dedicated fan of horror films worldwide (constantly searching for new releases for his home theater), was present to release the film’s trailer. Praising the team and the innocence woven into the film, Sharan remarked that this was the first success for the movie. “This team has already won,” Sharan said after watching the teaser.
Ambali Bharathi, playing the lead role, shared that the film was produced by her mother, Bharathi Bali, and she was entrusted with the production responsibilities. Although she had appeared in minor roles before, this marks her first full-fledged role. She credited her mother and aunts, Kamala and Uma, for their blessings. A graduate in engineering, Ambali previously worked at Wipro but left her job to pursue acting. Confident and articulate, Ambali said that the real battle now lies at the box office, having overcome many challenges during production. She expressed gratitude to action director Different Danny, who supported her through a fire sequence, comparing her performance in the monitor to that of Anushka Shetty. Ambali also thanked her team for their dedication and humorously mentioned that the film’s hero, Panchi (Panchakshari), looked “cuter” than she did in the film.
The original Naa Ninna Bidalaare (1979) is known for the song Bidane Ninna Paada, dedicated to Sri Raghavendra Swamy. Reflecting on this, music director MS Thyagaraj has prepared a five-minute song for the film’s climax. Thyagaraj noted that his brother Manjunath wrote the lyrics for the song and added that there are two more songs in the film.
Raghu Seerunde expressed his gratitude to director Naveen for allowing creative freedom during filming. Action director Different Danny recalled his experience working on action sequences for Power Star Puneeth Rajkumar while working on this film with Ambali Bharathi. He complimented Ambali for her precision and dedication in her debut film.
Panchi (Panchakshari), who comes from a theater background, plays an important role in the film, a role that brought him immense satisfaction. Veeresh is the film’s cinematographer.
Director Naveen explained that the title was initially different during the scriptwriting process. However, as the script developed, the team decided on the title Naa Ninna Bidalaare. He emphasized that there were no gimmicks behind this choice, and the title brought with it a sense of responsibility. The film, he noted, has more suspense and thrills than horror and is aimed at a family audience. Naveen has been working in various departments in the industry for over eight years.
