Mansore interview: On why ‘Doora Theera Yaana’ is a love story with a difference

Director Mansore, known for hard-hitting social dramas such as 19.20.21 (2023)and Act 1978 (2020), delves into the dynamics of relationships in his upcoming film, Doora Theera Yaana. “This film wasn’t easy to make. At one point, I felt I should have stuck to my preferred genre,” he says with a chuckle. The film has left him an admirer of directors who tackle love stories.

Starring Vijay Krishna and Priyanka Kumar M, Doora Theera Yaana releases on July 11, 2025. “It’s a challenge to create the right mood on set for emotionally charged scenes. The actors must understand what the character is going through. Of course, the chemistry between the leads matters. As a filmmaker over 40, when I share my idea of a relationship with actors in their mid-20s, I worry that they might not be able to relate to it.”

Though he has an affinity towards exposing the system, Mansore loves to surprise people, either with his choice of stories or narrative style. His films, despite operating in the commercial space, are not driven by the template. His 19.20.21, the true story of a young journalism student from a tribal community who fought for his constitutional rights, was narrated in a gritty, non-linear fashion. In Act 1978, a pregnant woman holds the employees and visitors of a government office hostage. The movie was a taut thriller with heart.

“I have experimented with this film as well,” he says. “Every frame will tell a story. There are several scenes that serve a metaphorical purpose. Kannada cinema had a certain sensibility from the 1960s till the 1980s. I have tried to maintain that sensibility through a visually evocative film.”

Doora Theera Yaana, Mansore says, is not a love story. “It’s a story about love. Before a couple gets married, there is a period of awaiting the big day. The partners fear talking about their expectations of each other during that time.”

Both of them have opinions on topics such as financial planning, savings and following one’s passion, Mansore says. “But they don’t convey it to each other. My film is about those important conversations that can save a marriage,” he explains.

Doora Theera Yaana is a road film, a genre rarely explored in Kannada cinema. “It’s not a typical road film. In Kannada movies, we romanticise the idea of a small town. Jai Shankar’s Shivammawas a welcome relief in that aspect. It shows women in villages jogging and exercising in sari. I have seen it happen.”

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This is something we are missing in Kannada films, Mansore says. “We aren’t recreating reality. That’s not the case in Malayalam cinema. For instance, in the recent crime comedy Sookshmadarshini, women living in a locality in a Tier-2 city are part of a messaging WhatsApp group for gossiping. These are small aspects that make the drama between the characters relatable.”

To narrate a full-fledged drama to audience with limited attention spans will be his biggest test, admits Mansore. “The pleasure of a three-second reel poses a big challenge to filmmakers. In Kannada, we don’t have film fanatics. So for me, the first-week audience matters. I have to keep them glued to the screen so that they are impressed and the positive response spreads.”