Bangalore, Oct. 7: A film producer allegedly shot a budding Kannada actor dead early today after a drinking binge.

Vinod Kumar, 31, was trying to stop a drunken argument between his friend Shankar Reddy and realtor-turned-producer Govardhan Murthy, 37, when he was shot twice with a 7.7mm pistol, in the stomach and chest.

Murthy then drove away while Reddy took the actor to a nursing home where he was declared dead on arrival.

Kumar, held in high esteem by the film industry here, had acted in Ghulaama, slated for release soon. He was shooting for two other films.

Police said he and Reddy had been invited to Murthy’s farmhouse last night in Bagalur on the city’s outskirts. A little after 1.30am, Reddy and Murthy went out to the garden for a chat. Soon, an argument broke out and Kumar heard gunshots.

Reddy and Murthy had apparently begun slapping each other, and one of Murthy’s guards had fired in the air to scare Reddy.

At this point, Kumar rushed out and asked what was going on and where the bullets had landed. An enraged Murthy allegedly shot him at point-blank range, exclaiming: “The bullet you are looking for is inside you.”

The police, who are looking for Murthy, said they would file a case of murder.

Murthy, who made his fortune in real estate, turned producer two years ago and has produced a couple of films, including the hit Madesha, which portrays the underworld.

Film personalities flocked to see Kumar’s body today and mourned the loss to the industry.