First Roar of Historic Kannada Film “Halagali” Released

The much-anticipated Kannada historical film Halagali has made waves with its “First Roar” release. Highlighted by Daali Dhananjaya in a key role, the film also stars Kantara fame Saptami Gowda as the female lead. Directed by Sukesh Nayak and produced by young entrepreneur Kalyan Chakravarthy Dhoolipalla under his Duhara Movies banner, this grand multi-starrer has already created quite a buzz. The film narrates the story of freedom fighters.

The project is being made on a massive budget in two parts, with shooting taking place in five languages. The First Roar has impressed audiences, with the first look unveiled. Speaking at the event, actor Daali Dhananjaya said: “In this film, I’m just a medium. I play the role of Jadaga. The real heroes are the director and producer. I always wanted to act in a historical film. Earlier, I had attempted it with the Allama biopic. But I always feared—many historical projects are started but abandoned midway due to budget issues. When I read the script of Halagali, I was truly impressed. After meeting the team and seeing the visuals of the British episodes already shot, I felt confident. Sukesh and Kalyan are the real heroes of this film. I am happy to be part of this project, and I will do my best to do justice to it.”

Actress Saptami Gowda said: “My character’s name is Honni. I underwent a lot of preparation for this role, including learning the North Karnataka dialect. My look is completely different in this film—it’s a rough and strong character.”

Director Sukesh Nayak, making his second film, shared: “I have always been fond of historical books. While reading, I came across Halagali. The fact that an entire village sacrificed themselves for a weapon caught my attention. I researched further, visited the village, and met the descendants of those warriors. Even today, their weapons are preserved in the temple. That inspired me to create this story. Initially, I wrote it on a smaller scale, but the producer encouraged me to expand and rewrite it on a grander scale, without damaging the essence. Already, 40% of the shoot is complete—our first schedule was in Mysuru, and we are currently shooting with a massive set in Nelamangala.”

The film, which will release in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi, tells the untold story of pre-independence warriors from Karnataka. For Daali Dhananjaya, this project marks a milestone in his career. Audiences, who have seen him in versatile roles, will now see him as a warrior wielding bows, arrows, and guns, stepping into the battlefield—bringing to life a forgotten yet thrilling chapter of history.

Halagali is based on the legendary guerrilla war fought by the Bedars of Halagali village against the British. Their valor, customs, and resistance will be vividly recreated on the big screen by director Sukesh Nayak. Producer Kalyan Chakravarthy Dhoolipalla, a young businessman from Ballari, has invested heavily in this ambitious project. Through his Duhara Movies banner, he has earlier produced the Telugu film Rachayitha and distributed over 20 films across Kannada and Telugu.

The film features music by Vasuki Vaibhav. A highlight of the film is that stunt choreographer Vikram Mor (of KGF fame) has designed the action sequences. Multiple massive village sets, including a complete recreation of Halagali village, have been specially constructed for the film. With such a big technical team and scale, expectations are running high for Halagali.