A movie on the underworld of Bengaluru

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Even as films of big stars struggle to keep the date with release, it is no wonder that films of newcomers face an extremely uphill task. Santhosh of Janma and Kempa fame is back with his third film in the lead role. After winning praise for portraying realistic characters in his first two films, he will once again be seen in a film based on a real incident. If Janma was the story of a criminal, Kempa was about a shepherd's struggle, having been born in the same village as the dreaded forest brigand Veerappan. Ganapa, on the other hand, is based on an incident in Bengaluru's underworld. The makers promise that it is something common people who are troubled by villains of society can relate to easily. 

It was the film's struggle to get a decent release in the last one year that made news more than the film itself. Producer Paramesh, known for his romantic films, has produced a 'realistic' film for a change. He says it was a combination of fate and deliberate waiting that delayed the film. He said, "The film was ready a year ago. But out of the blue, we were stuck with the Animal Welfare Board. It took us nearly six months to solve the problem. There was a complaint that a pigeon was hurt during shooting. Then the film was stuck with the Censor Board for two months. We had to get the film cleared by the Revising Committee. For another six months, I delayed the release waiting for a good date. When there are films of stars releasing regularly, it is difficult to get theatres. We have to stay in the theatres for at least two weeks. There is no point in releasing the film and giving up the theatres to a big film the next week." The film is made in both Kannada and Tamil. The Tamil version will release only two weeks after the Kannada version hits screens. "This again has to do with the release of other films in Tamil. But the film's distribution has already been picked up by a prominent distributor." 

Though the tagline of the film created some controversy (Anyone living beyond 40 cannot be called a rowdy), Paramesh denies the film is about rowdyism. "Though producers are accused of making so many films on rowdyism in Kannada, the truth is that there are only a handful of real films on rowdyism. Om, Kariya and Duniya can be classified films on rowdyism. Most of the others that were tagged 'rowdyism films' were in fact commercial films to the core. No one wants to take the risk of portraying a realistic film on the underworld or rowdy elements. Ganapa, on the other hand, is a film that takes a realistic approach, but not on rowdyism, but on people affected by it. But I can promise you that the film is good enough for the family audience. They will love it." About the tagline, he said, "It is actually a line from the film itself. It is not a gimmick made for publicity. Ganapa has a mature story and the making too has a mature approach." The film boasts of a strong crew, including Kollywood's famous stunt master Stunt Shiva, cinematographer Srinivas Devamsham, Johny Harsha, Mass Maada among others
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