Impersonation / 2026 / 29'/ Kannada / India
✦ Shorts
Pratiroopa is a portrait of look-alike artist named Jaishri Raju who has been impersonating Dr.Vishnuvardhan for more than two decades for a living. The film follows his journey as an impersonator and how he manages to fill the massive void left behind by the star, performing and recreating his iconic moments and songs, and in-turn entertaining fans. The film also reflects upon the larger subcultures of rural orchestra and company theatre in Karnataka.
Director(s) : Tejesh Kiran
Producer(s) : Tejesh Kiran (Cinema 39)
Cinematographer(s) : Raghavendra Shastry, Sharath Venkatesh, Guruprasad M G, Sandeep Kumar, Nagarjun Bhupathi, Tejesh Kiran
Writer(s) : Tejesh Kiran, Pratyagatma Kumar
Editor(s) : Prabhu Subramanian
Cast : Jaishri Raju, Bhojraj Honnali, Mallesh Kalluru, Ajith Kumar
Sound : Suresh Bagali, Praveen Kumar, G Sathyamurthy
Music : Ajith K.P.
Having studied International diploma in Digital filmmaking (DFM) at SAE College, Tejesh Kiran started his journey as an assistant director in 2008 with the National award winning Kannada film Gulabi Talkies under director Girish Kasaravalli.
After which he went onto work in Savaari (2009), a Kannada film under Director Jacob Verghese. He later transitioned into working in documentary, corporate films, and advertisement. He has co-written the screenplay for Niruttara (2016) with director Apoorva Kasaravalli.
His trajectory from Assistant director to Screenwriter, and from Creative producer to Filmmaker is a testament to his multifaceted talent and unwavering passion to the world of cinema.
