Rachita Ram has been a successful commercial heroine, but that has never deterred her from trying her hand at off-beat roles. Even as she has her hands full of projects —Aygoya, Natasarvabhouma, Seetharama Kalyana, I Love You, Rustum — she has signed another, April, which is bound to make the right noise.
In April, a women-centric film, Rachita is attempting to present herself in a different facet. Incidentally, this will also mark the directorial debut of Satya Rayala, who is also the writer of the film. A mechanical design engineer-turned-director, Satya, was working in the US for several months before he quit his job to pursue his passion of filmmaking.
Rachita will play the title role, whose character name is April D’Souza. The thriller, Satya says, is based on a true incident, which he happened to come across while working in the US.
“A news item in Reader’s Digest caught my attention, which is the trigger for April. With that incident as a basic plot, I have woven my story around it. It’s been a year since I started work on this. It took me four months to complete the script after which I worked on the screenplay and dialogues,” says the director, whose film is made under the banner, Hari Charan Arts, and is produced by Narayan Babu.
The first look of April shows the heroine in pain, in need of change, but keen to reach her goal. “The thought behind the title is that April is the second month of Spring when flowers bloom. She gets a second chance to life, which is why her parents name her April,” Satya explains. How does an incident that has taken place in a foreign country going to suit Indian sensibilities?
“The incident I have picked up doesn’t have a geographical boundary. So, whether the story is set in Kochi or Kolkata, it doesn’t really make a difference,” she says.
Incidentally, Satya and producer Narayan Babu had Rachita in mind while scripting the character. “Being a commercial heroine, she hasn’t taken a subject like this. So, this new avatar is something exciting to
Rachita and her fans,” he says.In September, the film will go on floors. April’s music is by Udith Haridas, cinematography by Arjun Shetty, and editing by Pratheek Shetty.