South Indian actor Kichcha Sudeepa will be in Dubai to premiere his epic fantasy adventure ‘Vikrant Rona’ on July 27 at 7pm at Vox Cinemas, City Centre Deira. The actor will be present at the premiere, which is being touted as the world’s first movie event fuelled by the Non-Fungible Token (NFT).
NFTs are unique digital items or collectibles that can be traded on the blockchain. According to reports, the premiere NFT tokens range from Dh250 to Dh2,000. Depending on what you purchase, you can get invited to premiere events, red-carpet appearances, and exclusive parties, or get a chance to meet Kichcha Sudeepa.
Dubai has always had a special connect with this film. On January 31 last year, a gigantic virtual cut-out of the superstar, along with a 180-second teaser to the trailer, was emblazoned on the Burj Khalifa.
“If you are going big, go with the biggest,” declared the Kannada superstar during an interview after the reveal when asked why he chose the iconic Burj Khalifa to exhibit the logo and teaser of ‘Vikrant Rona’.
Directed by Anup Bhandari, ‘Vikrant Rona’ is one of the latest pan-India releases that has whipped up a lot of interest.
The movie marks Sudeepa’s 25-year reign in the Kannada film industry and he earlier told Gulf News that he will push all limits while promoting this film.
“I am excited that even after 25 years in this industry I am able to tell stories … Everybody wants a slice of my career,” said Sudeepa, talking on his career milestone.
Both Sudeepa — who has acted in award-winning Kannada blockbusters and Bollywood’s ‘Dabangg 3’ — and director Bhandari described their upcoming action caper ‘Vikrant Rona’ as South India’s answer to the iconic Hollywood hero James Bond.
Earlier, the film was titled ‘Phantom’, but they changed the name when Sudeepa observed that his title character’s name was trending more on social media when they spoke first about their big-budget film.
He’s on a mission to push Kannada cinema onto a global stage.
“We have always been inspired by Superman, Batman, Spider-Man from the West … They were our heroes from our childhood … But we want to tell our own stories that is steeped in our reality. Our stories may be different, but our intention is not to be different just for the sake of it,” he said earlier.
The premiere in Dubai is for NFT holders, but his fans have always thronged to cinemas to catch a glimpse of the actor.
“One film cannot define who I am and one film cannot take away what I have earned so far. There are ups and downs in any actor’s career. My downs were scary in the beginning because you are constantly worried about your career finishing or taking off … But after 25 yeas if I am still worrying about my career, then it means I am not enjoying myself at all …,” said Sudeepa.
