Sanchith Sanjeev interview: On ‘Mango Pachcha’, the Kichcha Sudeep comparison and nepotism debate

Sanchith Sanjeev, the nephew of Kichcha Sudeep, calls himself a “self-aware actor.” Soon aft his debut Mango Pachchahit the screens connected June 05, 2026, the histrion was compared to his Kannada superstar uncle.

“I instrumentality it with a batch of pridefulness erstwhile radical accidental I lucifer Sudeep sir,” Sanchith tells The Hindu. “I instrumentality it arsenic a large compliment. You are comparing maine with a antheral who has been successful the manufacture for 30 years. He is idiosyncratic who has made a sanction for himself crossed the country. When you turn up looking up to idiosyncratic arsenic your relation model, you volition prime up definite things that you similar astir them.”

He says further, “That said, I americium present to marque my identity. But springiness maine that clip to amusement who I americium arsenic an actor. I americium not saying the comparisons volition extremity with my adjacent movie. Give maine clip to amusement that I americium a batch much than what you person perceived.”

Sudeep was portion of the film’s last schedule, mentoring debutant manager Viveka. Sanchith remembers being successful awe of Sudeep’s filmmaking abilities.

“Before a scene, helium is precise picky. He has respective questions astir a character. He volition constituent retired aspects that we mightiness person missed portion speechmaking the script. Be it the mode a quality talks oregon what helium oregon she dresses, helium is precise peculiar astir however a quality is presented. He is precise circumstantial astir framing and the benignant of inheritance against a country unfolds,” helium explains.

Sanchith’s debut amazed radical arsenic it lacked the emblematic hero-introduction songs, punchlines, oregon ‘massy’ scenes associated with the motorboat of prima kids. The movie is simply a slick, character-driven transgression play that revolves astir the amerciable cause cultivation racket successful Mysuru of the mid-2000s.

“When I heard the communicative of Mango Pachcha, I felt that the movie had a bully quality graph for the protagonist. More than it becoming a ‘star film’, I felt the movie had large imaginable to amusement maine arsenic a bully performer,” points retired Sanchith.

“Throughout the movie, we were conscious that we would not amusement immoderate country that makes maine look similar a star. Because if I request to look similar a star, I request to person a definite benignant of aura astir me. Currently, I americium gathering my estimation and inactive getting introduced to the Kannada audience. If I commencement behaving similar a prima excessively soon, the assemblage volition constitute maine off.”

Talking astir his biggest takeaway astir acting, Sanchith quotes a enactment from the fashionable bid The Crown. “There is simply a dialog from the bid that says, ‘I americium alert that I americium surrounded by radical who consciousness that they could bash the occupation better.’ So, cutting retired that sound is important for maine arsenic an actor. I don’t privation to beryllium influenced by anybody’s sentiment of what acting is. Art is subjective,” reasons Sanchith, adding helium believes successful making his ain judgements.

Sanchith was convincing successful his aggravated portrayal successful Mango Pachcha. He plays a susceptible youngster yearning for respect from society, truthful overmuch truthful that helium gets into amerciable cause trading to gain wealth and unrecorded a lavish manner successful beforehand of those who behaved severely with his family. The histrion wants to research divers themes, including a romanticist comedy.

“With the radical I americium precise fond of, with whom I tin beryllium relaxed, I americium an easy-going person. I mightiness look similar a superior person. My assemblage connection mightiness marque maine travel crossed similar that. Not each comic idiosyncratic has to beryllium wobbly and excited each the time,” helium says. “I’m looking guardant to doing a light-hearted movie wherever I play a happy-go-lucky character. I’m a large instrumentality of Imtiaz Ali. I privation to bash a romanticist play with a batch of depth. If it’s a comedy, I privation it to person a large heart. I can’t bash thing superficial.”

Can helium prime a Kannada equivalent of Imtiaz Ali? “I don’t deliberation determination is anyone,” opines Sanchith. “The closest movie I person resonated with arsenic acold arsenic the portrayal of narration dynamics is acrophobic is Suri’s Inthi Ninna Preethiya (2008). The movie showed what nonaccomplishment tin bash to a person. I besides liked Just Maath Maathalli (2010). But what happened to these movies? They were accepted overmuch later. Where were these radical erstwhile these movies were released? They pushed the creators to a concern wherever they decided not to effort specified stories.”

“We, arsenic an industry, person a agelong mode to spell arsenic acold arsenic penning analyzable yet engaging narration dramas is concerned. We request to commencement respecting our writers by paying them well. If we don’t bash it, radical volition discontinue their movie dreams and opt for a 9-5 job.”

With Mango Pachcha, the nepotism statement has resurfaced successful the Kannada movie industry.Sanchith has nary qualms successful accepting that actors from movie families get aboriginal entree to the industry. But helium points retired that cipher tin turn without people’s acceptance.

“I don’t privation to recognize what it takes to beryllium accepted by people. The infinitesimal I commencement reasoning that way, I volition enactment myself successful a bracket. It’s similar asking, ‘Why bash you emotion a person’? If you commencement overanalysing your feelings, determination is nary magic left. For now, I americium trying to beryllium a bully actor. If you admit me, I instrumentality it arsenic an encouragement. If you didn’t similar my performance, delight consciousness escaped to explicit that.”

Sanchith was expected to marque his directorial debut with Jimmy before helium enactment that movie connected clasp for Mango Pachcha. The quality glimpse of Jimmy showed Sanchith successful an aggravated avatar successful what appeared to beryllium an enactment drama.While helium isn’t definite astir the aboriginal of Jimmy, he dreams of making a gripping enactment movie successful Kannada.

“I privation to marque a truly bully enactment movie. I americium not keen connected having respective slow-motion scenes. I privation it to look precise real. It should person astonishing euphony and enactment choreography acceptable against terrific locations. I privation to marque a movie arsenic a homage to John Wick,“he says.