Kannada television serial producer-director Vinod V. Dhondalay committed suicide on 20th July in Bangalore. He was allegedly stressed about a personal loan of Rs. 3 crore he had taken and the rising budget of his debut film, Ashoka Blade.
According to his partner and producer Vardhan Hari (Vriddhi Creation), the film’s budget had exceeded the initial plan, leading to a financial bottleneck. “The film, a social drama set in the 1970s, was written by T.K. Dayanand and stars Sathish Ninasam. We began shooting in May 2023, expecting a 45-day schedule, but ended up shooting for 87 days,” Hari explained. The original budget of Rs. 1.5 crore went up significantly, and the team needed additional funds to reshoot some scenes, a song, and a fight sequence.
Sathish Ninasam, who is also co-producing the film, expressed shock at the turn of events. On hearing the sad news, Sathish said, “The film is 90% complete, and we had planned to finish the remaining portions next month. It’s a pity. Dhondalay was a gem of a man.”
Vardhan Hari stated that Dhondalay appeared relieved during their meeting on July 19, as they had found a solution to their financial issues. However, he heard the shocking news about Dhondalay’s death the next morning.
Dhondalay’s wife, Geetha, informed the police, and a case of unnatural death was registered. Inspector M.M. Bharath confirmed that Dhondalay had been depressed due to the Rs. 3 crore loan he had taken from Karnataka Bank for the film’s production. A two-page suicide note was found, in which Dhondalay asked for forgiveness from his family.
Dhondalay is survived by his wife, two sons, and a daughter. His eldest son had recently scored 99% in his Class X examinations, and his youngest daughter is just eight years old.