Three years ago, Natesh Hegde, writer-director of the critically acclaimed Kannada film Pedro, received an unexpected appreciation post from Bollywood filmmaker Anurag Kashyap. This led to a friendship between them, and they have been meeting regularly at film festivals worldwide and in Mumbai. This personal connection has now blossomed into a professional partnership, with Natesh currently in Mumbai shooting for Anurag's upcoming dark comedy thriller, in which he and Raj B Shetty have exciting roles.

Natesh appreciates the ease with which Bollywood makes films compared to other Indian film industries. He emphasizes that cinema transcends regional boundaries and notes that the Hindi film industry operates without the pressure often felt by others due to their established market and resources.

Having a background in theatre, Natesh enjoys both directing and acting. He has acted in his upcoming film Vagachipani alongside Dileesh Pothan and collaborated with Anurag in the Malayalam film Rifle Club. While acting is a passion, directing will always remain his primary focus.

Natesh believes that collaborations between different industries are essential for artists' growth and development. He acknowledges the support he received from fellow filmmakers like Rishab Shetty and Raj B Shetty in his journey and encourages a spirit of cooperation among artists across industries for mutual benefit."We should focus on continuously improving ourselves instead of fixating on the view count of OTT platforms. Our priority should be creating high-quality films and working with a diverse group of talented individuals." — Natesh Hegde, filmmaker