Ravichandran’s personality reflects an uncanny resolution to succeed, differently. An actor and filmmaker, he has always created paths for others to follow and at the age of 55, he is one individual who does not shy away from a being audacious. His upcoming film, Apoorva, which will release next week, is just another example of his insusceptibility to blandishments of filmdom.
And so, for Apoorva, more than being a spendthrift, Ravichandran decided to give as much time he could for the film, and took almost 30 months to give cinematic shape to a story which revolves around a 61-year-old man and a 19-year-old girl.
In an exclusive with
City Express at his residence, Ravichandran speaks about how Apoorva is one film that has given him complete satisfaction after a long time. “It is a story of experience and innocence. We plan our next move depending on the current circumstances. Likewise the situations are stitched into a love story of a 61-year-old man and a young girl. The man has seen life and the girl is just entering the real world and their interaction is depicted in the film. What happens with the two when they start interacting with the outside world and come in contact with the society, becomes the crucial point of Apoorva. This film was very philosophical for me about life, love and journey, which I have attempted to narrate it in a new way,” he explains and adds that he felt he looked handsome in his salt pepper hair get up. “The look has a certain charisma and all of a sudden, I actually look younger at 61 than I am now,” he chuckles.
The actor, who was part of every department during the process of the film, asserts that even though there were people who worked with him for years, he got completely involved because he had his own imagination about Apoorva. “I was sitting with this film for two years. I don’t think, it is right on my part to ask my team to sit with me for that long but still I had my cameraman GSV Seetharam, Gautam Srivatsav and Apoorva, the heroine of my film, all through out with me,” he says.
Ravichandran admits that he had to do the re-recording more than few times since the story had two dimensions. “I didn’t want diversion from one story to another. The transition took time for me to analyse myself about the film, before I could bring it to the audience,” he adds.
Ravichandran clarifies that the film doesn’t only run with the hero and heroine of the film but has characters that come and go. “Sudeep and Ravishankar come as characters for some time and later their voice stays back. Prakash Raj, Tara, Rangayana Raghu, Sadhu Kokila come as voices. Pavithra Lokesh and Vijay Raghavendra make a guest appearance,” he reveals.
He also asserts that the film has an approach which looks at a totally new genre. “Everybody still thinks that what I have done with Apoorva is a big risk. But I think taking risks bring out the best in you which in turn results in a new trend. I didn’t like to fall back with the same commercial flow of films. So don’t expect a duet song, romance, or comedy in Apoorva,” he declares and adds that it is time that filmmakers start engaging front benchers in the movie watching experience. “I wrote Apoorva as a commercial film, but I changed the format because I wanted to make it serious, which I thought after Ekangi. Except for one song between the old and the young, every other song goes along with situations,” he says.
Quotes in English
According to Ravichandran, with the two stories running parallely along with the narration, he wanted to bring in English quotes in the film. “I thought it was a better way to bring in the script and hold the viewers. Almost every quote is created by me, with a couple of them picked up. The English quotes a few viewers may find difficult to understand, but they will follow the film,” he says.
Shooting at Home
A lift was been set up in Ravichandran’s house for the film. Apart from that he has shot the film in two malls and on Nice Road. “Even now I prefer to do my films at my house. I did alter my house for Apoorva as I didn’t feel like going elsewhere. Reason, I don’t see anything new as a lot of films have been shot in the same houses, which have now become more filmi. I don’t like sets as one they are expensive and don't work out for me. I have kept the upstairs of my house for shooting purpose only,” he reveals