Niveditha Shivarajkumar interview: On ‘Firefly’, producing new-age content and becoming a strong-willed producer

Producer Niveditha Shivarajkumar.
| Photo Credit: Ravichandran N

Growing up in a film family, the dinner table conversations wouldn’t always be about movies, contrary to general perception, says Niveditha Shivarajkumar. “I think it was Abhishek Bachchan who once said that, as a kid, he believed everyone’s house would be the same. I relate to his statement. As a child, I saw many fans outside my house, and I thought it was normal. Nobody sat me down and told me that my dad and grandfather were superstars,” she says.

Daughter of Kannada superstar Shivarajkumar, Niveditha has finished producing her first feature film, Firefly, starring and directed by Vamshi. The Kannada film hits the screens on April 24, 2025, the birth anniversary of Niveditha’s grandfather, the legendary actor Dr Rajkumar.

“It’s a special day for us. He (Rajkumar) was a gentle person who would sit and sing for us. We watched a lot of films together at home. When I would come home from school and see his slippers outside, I would be thrilled that he was back home from shooting. I remember watching Lagaan with him. The only theatrical film of my grandfather I watched was Shabdavedi (2000), his last movie. His whole life was about movies. That’s all he knew,” she recollects.

Actor-director Vamshi on the sets of ‘Firefly’.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Niveditha remembers visiting the sets of Shivarajkumar’s films during the summer holidays. However, she considered films as a serious career option only after completing her education. “I was never interested in becoming an actor. The conversation turned to me starting a business or supporting the family business. I wasn’t interested in that either. So, I got into production without substantial experience in it. It was like shooting in the dark, but I learned it on the job.”

With Firefly, she attempts to prove there is no shortage of good makers in the Kannada film industry. “The film revolves around Vicky, who is in his 20s. He has gone through something in his life. The movie is about his journey, as he meets many people, and how he tries to overcome loneliness and grief,” she says.

Rachana Inder in ‘Firefly’.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

In a conversation with The Hindu in November, Shivarajkumar had compared his daughter’s ability to judge and decide as a producer to his mother, Parvathamma Rajkumar, who helmed the legendary production banner Poornima Enterprises. “It was very kind of him to say that. I am barely a film old while her achievements are massive,” says Niveditha. “That said, she was a very bold and strong-willed producer. I am trying to follow that quality. I want to put my foot down and get things done in a way I want,” she offers.

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Niveditha gradually wants to emerge out of the shadows of her father’s popularity. “I think it will happen through my work. I don’t want to escape the attention I get because of my father. It is something I was born with. I produced three web series (Hate You Romeo, Honeymoon, and By Mistake) before Firefly. I am doing my bit to stand out on my own,” she says, adding that she has begun to read scripts for her next feature.