BANGALORE: Small is powerful if it has the right intent and depth. So believes model turned actor Raghu Mukherjee who plays an important role in Aryan along with Shivarajkumar and Ramya.
"I took up Aryan when it came my way because of director D Rajendra Babu. Sir turned out to be a nice person when I met him. The scale of the film is also very large, the story is very interesting and being associated with such a film is a privilege. I play a very young and ambitious guy who wants to achieve a certain target. Along with that, there are many other parallel stories. I am glad to be the part of such an big film," he explains.
Despite the presence of a star like Shivarajkumar, Raghu still picked the film.
"I don't feel threatened at all. That's the spirit I have. One needs to know one's own potential. For me, it was fun working with senior actors because there was so much banter and learning. I don't come from any film background and with very limited resources, I have tried to blend in the industry. Obviously when you work with a big star who is also the son of a legend, you get to learn a lot. I also did Savari with Kitty and it turned out to be a great film. I have a very different attitude. There is nothing like being a part of a great story. If everything is managed upfront, I think many actors will come forward to work in a multi-starrer. As of now, I am enjoying what I am doing. I love acting and doing stuff with different people. I am also part of Superro Ranga with Upendra and here too, I play an important role," he says
Raghu believes in portraying a character well and says, "The director takes the call as to how long he wants an actor in the film. Directors can exploit me in different ways and I am inspired to be versatile when I see great actors like Al Pacino and Aamir Khan."
About his last flick Akramana, a 3D film, he says, "The concept as such was fantastic. The idea of having a 3D film was very good and story line was great. But I think, there was a lot of technical delay in the film and it took forever. I don't know how the production team and director handled it. Personally, even I felt that the film did not make much noise during its release, which is necessary. Technically also, with the film I think, they were a few weaknesses. That's the risk one takes while working with new people."
He adds, "We have to get realistic, when we start comparing ourselves with Hollywood. A film like Avatar took 14 years and was done with a budget close to one billion dollars. However, I still feel Akramana was an experimental film done with limited resources."
Raghu has completed the talkie portions of his upcoming film Meenakshi and is waiting to start Apna Desh. "The director of the film Apna Desh suffered some health issues. We are waiting for him to recover," he says.
Apart, from films, Raghu has ventured into a new business that will keep him busy.
"I have started my own architectural firm. I like to keep doing things that I enjoy and I felt architecture is also a creative field. Opportunity came my way and I took it up. I have an architect who takes care of the design and I work on the ideas. It is fun and it is different.