Puneeth Nagaraj, a Civil Engineer turned filmmaker who spent a decade as an assistant director, is now making his debut as a feature film director with Hide & Seek. Deriving the title from the popular children’s game, the film is billed as a suspense thriller, with Anoop Revanna (Lakshmana, Kabzaa) and Dhanya Ramkumar (Ninna Sanihake) in the lead roles. The makers recently unveiled the trailer at a grand event attended by politicians including Anoop’s father, HM Revanna, Ramlalinga Reddy, and Vishwanath, as well as Senior Professor Dr K Ravi, among others, extending their wishes to the team. The makers also officially announced that the film will be released across Karnataka on March 15.
In an interview on the sidelines of the trailer launch and release date announcement, Puneeth Nagaraj spoke about the film and described Hide & Seek as a fictional story centred around kidnapping, all unfolding within a week. “The film portrays a world where a gang of kidnappers operates with a mysterious leader amidst them,” he explained. “Anoop’s character is one of the members of this gang, and the narrative explores the complexities of their organisation and the challenges they face.”
Apart from the lead actors, Hide & Seek produced by Vasantrao M Kulkarni features Bal Rajavadi, Suraj of Comedy Khiladigalu fame, Jaggi, Aravind Rao, Krishna Hebbale, and Rajesh Nataranga in pivotal roles. Rijo P John is handling the cinematography, Sandy Adanki (Killing Veerappan) has scored the music for the film, while Madhu Tumbakere serves as the editor.