Cinematic experiences are of more value to the audience that we may think. It lets one travel to exotic locales at the cost of just one movie ticket — visually that is. That is one of the main reasons why film-makers strive to give their viewers that little something that they may be looking out for. The latest team to join the bandwagon is the soon-to-be-released Kannada film Mr Duplicate, which promises to serve you a slice of history in the midst of all the comedy.
Producer Kashyap Dakoju reveals, “We travelled to Cambodia to shoot a song sequence for our film Mr Duplicate. The unique part about this destination is that it’s home to one of the biggest Vishnu temples in the world. Spread over 35 acres, we found that this is one of the hottest tourist destinations for those who love history and architecture. Considering the enormity of even the built area, tourists are offered a choice of buying themselves either — a day pass, a three day pass or a week-long pass which allows them access into the temple premises. It takes that much time for a tourist to see the entire temple while learning all about it from the guides there.”
Called the Angor Wat, the temple dates back to the early 12th century and is said to have been built for the king Suryavarman.
Today, though the temple is not open for religious ceremonies, it is more a galleried one that is a fine example of South Indian Hindu architecture. “On a lighter side, people also say that this temple was built by the aliens — only because it is such a spectacular structure that one can’t imagine how mortals could have even conceived such a thing,” says Kashyap. It was tough for the team to obtain permission to shoot at the location, which is why most of the scenes in the song only have the temple as a backdrop.
The film, that stars Diganth, Prajwal Devraj, and Sheetal Ijantkar in lead roles, features a romantic number featuring the latter two. “The film is set against a college backdrop, and is basically a love triangle. It also touches on the concept of mistaken identity. It is definitely going to be a laugh riot, considering it is all about situational comedy,” says the producer. That’s a little something more to look forward to.
