Independent filmmaker Natesh Hegde, who had the world media’s attention on him after his directorial debut Pedro made waves at the film festival circuit and currently has his second, Vaghachipani embarking on a similar journey, had turned actor with the latter, which he then followed up with a role in the Malayalam film Rifle Club. His next is a film called Kurka, directed by Ganesh Hegde, who won a state film award for his directorial debut Neeli Hakki.

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Ganesh had worked as an associate on Vaghachipani, during which time he told Natesh about the subject, which, the latter thought ought to be brought to the screen. Natesh launched a banner called Fox and Friends for this and managed to get another investor on board, Aghor Motion Pictures and made the film with himself, Vijay Raghavendra and Avinash in pivotal roles. A crime thriller, the film is currently in post-production, with the team aiming for a second half of 2025 theatrical release.

Kurka centres on Munna, a defiant young quarry worker, haunted by loss and caught in the brutal grip of local power struggles. As his world unravels, he's thrust into a surreal reckoning—one that forces him to face a hard, personal truth. The film also stars Anupama Gowda, Jahangir M S, G B Bharath, Sindhu Herur, Nagaraj Hegde and Shwetha Desai. Music is by Charanraj, with Ganesh chipping in as cinematographer and Natesh as editor.

While Natesh’s Pedro is yet to make it to theatres or OTT, he is hopeful that once Rishab Shetty winds up work on Kantara Chapter 1, he can devote some time to promote it and bring it to audiences. Given Rishab’s busy schedule, he had handed over production credits of Natesh’s Vaghachipani to filmmaker Anurag Kashyap. The film recently made it to the Berlinale Film Festival and will continue to be on the circuit till about October, after which Natesh hopes to have it in theatres.