Senior Kannada film publicist Sudheendra Venkatesh has stepped into film production, while his son Pavan Venkatesh makes his directorial mark with the short film First Salary. The film’s poster was released on the occasion of Deepavali, carrying the tagline “The Path of Dreams.”
For more than five decades, Sri Raghavendra Chitravani has served as a key bridge connecting producers, directors, technicians, and journalists within the Kannada film industry. The organization, founded by veteran publicist D.V. Sudheendra, has earned respect for its distinctive contributions to film publicity and production.
Under the banner of Sri Raghavendra Chitravani, D.V. Sudheendra had produced several well-known Kannada films, including Olavina Udugore, Ganeshana Maduve, Gundana Maduve, Pattanakke Banda Putta, and Nagu Nagutha Nali. Now, carrying forward the legacy, his son Sudheendra Venkatesh is venturing into production with First Salary, directed by Pavan Venkatesh. The project also carries the blessings of D.V. Sudheendra.
Director Pavan Venkatesh, who previously directed several short films including Karala Roga Naasha during the pandemic, has helmed First Salary as a family-oriented emotional short film centered on a mother’s sentiment.
Speaking about the project, Pavan said, “During the COVID-19 period, I made the short film Corona Karala Roga Naasha, a documentary on the life of Kannada’s leading publicist D.V. Sudheendra titled D.V. Sudheendra Cini Payana, and an animated short Ramajanma Bhoomi. Now, I have directed First Salary, which includes all the commercial elements viewers expect. The story revolves around a mother’s emotions.”
The short film features senior artiste Harini Srikanth in a lead role, along with Vijay Shivakumar, Yathiraj, Trishul, Snehashree, and Rakshit in prominent roles. The shoot was completed over five days in Bengaluru, and post-production took about a month. The film includes one song, and the entire process — from filming to digital intermediate — took around two to three months. The total runtime of First Salary is 24 minutes.
The direction team includes Manoj Kumar and H.N. Ravi Sasanur. Publicity design is by Mani. The story is written by Vijay Shivakumar, with cinematography and editing handled by Richard Daniel, and music composed by Vijay Harithsa. Media relations have been managed by D.S. Sunil Sudheendra and D.G. Vasudev, while Chandana Prasanna has handled digital marketing.
First Salary will soon be released on the official YouTube channel of Sri Raghavendra Chitravani.