Rumour has it that team of Uthama Villain is coming up with a surprise which will be revealed on Kamal Haasan’s birthday, which falls on November 7. Ramesh, the director of Uthama Villain, was busy all these days anchoring his TV talk show Weekend with Ramesh which will air over 14 episodes.
The show which premiered on 2 August had all the Kannadigas glued to small screen due to the buzz around it. Not only did the show get a good response here but was well received by Kannadigas residing abroad. The last episode had a surprising twist with Ramesh himself sitting on the chair with director Yogaraj Bhat and taking the actor through his journey on the show. “It was amazing and I never knew that it could touch the audience so well. At the end of this season, I feel very moved as audience members were inspired by the stories told by some of the guests on the show. It was a great learning experience as I realised that there are so many routes to success and everyone achieved something or the other in their own way. The connection was fantastic,” he says.
Interestingly, Ramesh’s talk show had celebrities and ordinary people who were within and outside the film industry and this became an instant hit. “We were happy to see achievers from all walks of life including those who were physically challenged and this was very interesting for me. Beyond all this glamour, lights and makeup there are so many achievers from different walks of life and they end up on the chair and that is the winning point of this show,” says Ramesh.
Apparently Weekend with Ramesh has been compared to Aamir’s Khan much talked about Satyameva Jayate. “I take this comparision as a compliment as I have admired Aamir Khan for his commitment to relevant social issues. One needs to be brave to do a series like and given an opportunity, I would love to do a show like that,” he says.
There is constant pressure to continue the show for a longer time, even though the makers of the show have already crossed the contract. They have stretched it to a couple of more shows. “I think we should leave it at this point now and start afresh with new ideas. It is always better to leave it when they want more,” he says.
The other demand made by the audience was that they wanted Ramesh to host the show and to sit on the anchor’s chair, which came as a surprise to the director. Initially, I felt quite awkward as I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes activity. But I had to sit on the chair because of the demand, and it ended well,” he says.
Now that Uthama Villain is getting ready for its for release and Weekend with Ramesh is almost done, we ask what is next? “Another clean start and more exciting things will come up and your life goes on, which has been the case all these years. It is always interesting for me to know what I will do next. I am trying to straddle both television and cinema. But my next film, should be as good experience as I am doing Uthama Villain,” he says.