Faced with Rs 3 cr loan, unfinished film, prominent Kannada director dies by suicide
Bengaluru: Allegedly upset over the rising budget of his debut film and the personal loan of Rs 3 crore he had availed for it, prominent Kannada TV Series Director Vinod V Dhondalay died by suicide on July 20.
His partner and producer of the film, Vardhan Hari of Vriddhi Creation, said they ran into a financial bottleneck, as the film exceeded the originally planned number of shooting days by almost double.
“'Ashoka Blade' is a social drama set in the 1970s. It is written by T K Dayanand and it stars Sathish Ninasam. It was Dhondalay’s dream project and we started the shooting in May 2023. Originally, we planned for 45 days, but we shot for 87 days."
"Our original budget was around Rs 1.5 crore, but we went over it by many times. Now, we needed to reshoot a few scenes as well as a song and a fight sequence. All this required more money", Hari said.
Ninasam, who also partly produces the film under the banner Sathish Picture House, said he did not expect such a turn of events.
"The film is 90 per cent complete. We recently had a discussion and we decided to shoot the remaining bits next month. It would have taken us another 20 to 25 days. It is such a pity. Dhondalay was a gem of a man", Ninasam said.
According to Hari, who said he had dropped him home on July 19 night after a meeting with another producer who was willing to pitch in, when he left Dhondalay looked relieved.
“He was worried because we had already spent a lot of money and the film looked very promising. Lack of money to take the movie further was weighing on him a lot. But we had found a solution and there was someone who was willing to help us finish the remaining shooting. I did not expect to hear the news of his death the very next morning,” said Hari, who has worked with Dhondalay for more than 22 years, producing many TV serials.
Dhondalay is known for his TV serials ‘Karimani’ and ‘Shantam Papam’.
Chandra Layout police station Inspector M M Bharath said Dhondalay’s wife Geetha informed them of the death, and a case of unnatural death has been registered. Further investigations are being conducted.
“According to the FIR (based on the statement by Dhondalay's wife), he had been depressed for some time as he had taken an OD (overdraft) loan of almost Rs 3 crore from Karnataka Bank for the production of ‘Ashoka Blade’,” the inspector said.
He also said Dhondalay had left behind a two-page suicide note, where he had asked for the forgiveness of his wife and children.
Dhondalay is survived by his wife Geetha, two sons and a daughter. His eldest son just completed his Class X exams and scored 99 per cent marks, and his youngest daughter is only eight years old, his friend and producer Hari said.
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PM Modi meets Dutch royals in Netherlands, discusses cooperation in technology, innovation
The Hague (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima at the Royal Palace and discussed close cooperation in digital technology, innovation, fintech and blue economy.
Modi arrived in the Netherlands on Friday - after a brief stopover in the UAE - on the second leg of his five-nation tour that also includes Sweden, Norway and Italy.
"Met His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Máxima at the Royal Palace. It was wonderful exchanging perspectives on boosting India-Netherlands friendship across key sectors like technology, innovation, sustainable growth, commerce and water resources," PM Modi posted on X after the meeting.
Modi said that India and the Netherlands are "connected by shared interests and a shared belief in building a future-ready planet."
"They discussed the growing partnership between India and the Netherlands," the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted on X.
"Both sides noted the close cooperation in the areas of sustainability, climate action, digital technology, innovation, fintech and blue economy," he added.
The two sides also expressed commitment towards further strengthening India–Netherlands relations.
Earlier in the day, Modi addressed a gathering of the Indian diaspora in The Hague where he called India a “land of opportunities” undergoing an “unprecedented transformation”.
The PM's visit to the European nation from May 15 to 17 is his second trip to the country after his 2017 visit and comes at what officials described as an "important juncture" in India-Netherlands ties.
India and the Netherlands have significantly expanded cooperation in recent years beyond traditional sectors such as trade, investment and the priority areas of water, agriculture and health.
The partnership has grown in strategic sectors, including technology, innovation, defence, security, semiconductors, renewable energy, education and the maritime domain, the MEA said.
The Netherlands is one of India’s largest trade destinations in Europe, with bilateral trade valued at USD 27.8 billion in 2024-25. It is also India’s fourth-largest investor, with cumulative foreign direct investment amounting to USD 55.6 billion, officials said.
People-to-people ties remain a key pillar of the bilateral relationship.
Later on Saturday, Modi is scheduled to meet his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten.
