Comedian Kempegowda debuts as hero with KATLE

The trailer and song of Katle, which marks comedian Kempegowda’s first outing as a lead actor, were unveiled at a grand event held at a packed auditorium at Utsav Legacy. Former Deputy Chief Minister Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan, Mandya MLA Ravikumar Gowda (Ganiga), Bigg Boss fame Pratham, and Cockroach Sudhi inaugurated the event and extended their best wishes. Prior to this, video snippets of artists wishing the team were screened.

Katle is written, scripted, and directed by Srividha Abhinandan. Hailing from Hoskote, Bharath Gowda—a grassroots political party worker, social activist, and real estate entrepreneur—has ventured into cinema production, making this a new and notable experience for him. Sanmita and Amruta play the female leads, while Harshika Poornaccha appears in another important role. The cast also includes Tennis Krishna, Tabla Nani, Harish Raj, Ganesh Rao Kesarakar, Pawan Kumar, Biradar, M.S. Umesh, Yatiraj, and Karisubbu. The film has been shot across Bengaluru, Sirsi, and the Malenadu region. Lyrics by Dr. V. Nagendra Prasad, Bhargava Chetan Kumar, and Kinnal Raj have been set to music by Sridhar V. Sambram. Anirudh has handled cinematography, Chaluvamurthy the editing, Ultimate Shivu the stunts, and Bajarangi Mohan the choreography.

Speaking at the event, director Srividha Abhinandan explained that the word Katle carries different meanings across regions and, in the context of the film, signifies “time.” Every living being has its own time, he said—if it goes wrong, life comes to a standstill in the wheel of time. The film is based on this concept. “To fully understand it, you must watch it in theatres. Katle will make you cry, laugh, disturb you, and stay with you. It ends with a message in the climax,” he revealed.

A visibly excited Kempegowda shared that after an 18-year journey in cinema and acting in over 75 films, he has now stepped up as a hero. “The producer trusted a comedy actor with a hero’s role and mounted the film on a grand scale. Though it has elements of horror, thriller, and psychological drama, it is not confined to any single genre—it’s like a full meals platter that everyone will enjoy. I play an engineer, and the final scenes will leave audiences teary-eyed. The lyrics and music have come out beautifully,” he said, urging the media to help take Katle to a wider audience. Producer Venkat Gowda of Sachit Films revealed plans to release the film in around 75 centres.