Sandalwood's ace stunt choreographer Ravi Verma is the first technician to be given a honorary doctorate by the Academy of Universal Global Peace University, Chennai. The stunt choreographer, who was overwhelmed after receiving the doctorate at an event held at KGF on Sunday, said, "I am humbled by this gesture and feel honoured to have received this award. First of all, a doctorate towards my profession seemed a distant dream. I can't say it is a dream come true but definitely the award will only raise the bar in my career."
The hononary doctorate was conferred on Ravi Verma for establishing himself as a stunt choreographer in Kannada and for his work in other South Indian languages and Hindi. "I was told that the doctorate was awarded to me for my hard work and making a name across geographies," he says.
Having worked with top stars such as Balakrishna, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan among others, he is aware of the intense competition in the industry. "I have never been competitive myself. I believe that number zero comes first and I like being there," says Ravi Verma.
The stunt choreographer who is longing to turn director will be helming a project with brothers Shivarajkumar and Puneeth Rajkumar, to be produced under Jayanna Combines. "I have been talking about it for quite some time. Now, I will dedicate my time for it," says the stunt director who planned a visit to Shirdi soon after receiving the doctorate. "I am an ardent devotee of Saibaba and my first priority is to visit the place before I go back to work," he says.
Ravi Verma will be later heading to Hyderabad, where he will be completing work for Trivikram Srinivas's film. He has already signed on for his next project in Tamil. "It is an action film starring Vikram, Nayanthara and Nitya Menen to be directed by Anand Shankar. Work for it will start next month. Meanwhile, I am in discussions with a few Kannada
directors, who are keen to have me in their projects," he says. I have never been competitive myself. I believe that number zero comes first and I like being there Ravi Verma , stunt choreographer