Debutant director Santhosh Ananddaram is excited that his film was declared as a clean family entertainer by the Censor Board. The film produced by Jayanna and Bogendra has been given a ‘U’ certificate with no cuts and mutes.
On a happy note, director Santhosh says, “We worked very hard to create a neat entertainer and the Censor Board has acknowledged our effort.”
He adds, “I was particular about working within the confines of good taste and the moment, I got ready with the story line, I knew what would be my opening shot, interval cut and the climax.”
According to the director, Mr and Mrs Ramachari harks back to the legacy of Nagarahavu, a 42-year-old film directed by Puttanna Kanagal that saw actor Vishuvardhan in the role of Ramachari. Santhosh also clarifies that in spite of Ramachari being the central character in his film, there is no obvious connection between Nagarahavu and his film. “I got influenced so much with the character when I watched the film back then that I presented my inspiration on the big screen. Generally in India, teenagers get attracted to movies particularly for the way heroes dress, style their hair etc. Likewise, Yash in the film is so influenced by the character Ramachari that no matter what the challenge, he is determined to follow the ethics of his idol,”
Santhosh chose Yash and Radhika Pandit for many reasons. “I had Yash and Radhika in mind while writing the script and for me it was a dream cast. Secondly, it became a big responsibility for me because it is their third film together. Both have a good chemistry and are good performers.”
It was Yash who gave wings to his directorial dreams, admits Santhosh.
“He supported me from the script level. He liked the story so much and didn’t commit to any other project and gave all the support to a new director. In fact he was the one who supported me by bringing in a good producer and good technicians. He wanted me to win because he knew that with my success, doors will also open for the ten member team working with me,” he says.
Santhosh is grateful to all the people who stood by him through the making of the film. “Music director V Harikrishna was the backbone of the film because he is a also big fan of the Ramachari character. He gave me a lot of inputs in the making of the film apart from directing music and re-recording. I had equal support from cinematographer Vaidy S, editor Prakash, fight master Ravi Varma and choreographer Murali. I would also like to mention my associate and close friend Vijay Nagendra and my co-director, Anil Mandya who gave me a lot of encouragement. Overall, I got a good backing for my first project,” he signs off.