Having acted in more than 100 films, Ramesh Aravind has left many traces which shows that he has walked through the world of filmdom, creatively and in great happiness. He has made people laugh, cry, fall in love and feel many other emotions, all the while lending a face to them to relate to and live a few hours of joy. Having worked in all South Indian languages as well as in Bollywood, he is somebody who feels content not by reaching the goal, but by the grandness of effort involved in getting there. Opting to ignore the comfort of opinion and instead choosing the discomfort of thought, he graduated to become a director. And he was able to even associate with versatile actor-director, Kamal Haasan among few others in Sandalwood.
His latest directorial is Sundaraanga Jaana, a remake of Telugu film Bhale Bhale Magadivoy. Starring Ganesh andShanvi Srivastava, the film is produced by Rockline Venkatesh and Allu Aravind, the latter marking his debut as producer in Sandalwood with the film.
The actor-director talks to City Express about his journey as a director. Excerpts:
What is the most significant aspect of directing a film?
The whole idea of direction is extremely dependent on vision, right from the artistic and dramatic aspects to the visualisation of the script to controlling the technical crew and guiding the actors. I believe that everything that is captured in the frame is not by accident and direction goes beyond the story. From furniture to the wall hanging, the movement of actor and the way he or she delivers the dialogues, their posture, everything has to be well accommodated within the vision. And once framed, it is frozen in celluloid forever.
So, you have to be cautious and add immense value, which sometimes seems like a never ending process. For a creative director, it is a great thrill. It is amazing to tell a story through a camera. Also, choosing the locations for the sets is a big high in itself for me. For Sundaranga Jaana, I chose a lot of places in Bengaluru, which will be seen for the first time.
We have seen actors turning directors, but does it work the other way round?
It depends on the mindset. I consider one as an apple and other as orange. But I love fruit salad, so it is fine. For an actor, it is all about his role, his glorification and dialogue delivery whereas the director has to look into the overall picture. Direction is just not about sitting in front of the camera. We have think about all the departments and unite into one frame. Some actors become directors because of their experience, and there is no restriction for a director to turn actor as long as one has a natural flair for it.
When was the first time you thought of becoming a director?
My passion for direction started in college when I helmed the skits. Coming to films, I had the thought of wearing the director’s hat in my fourth film, Sangrama. It was the time when I started watching the off-screen happenings on the sets. I was curious to know what goes on behind the camera. But I had to wait till my 100th film. The thought was always there but I was busy as an actor and could not divert my attention.
As a hero I was doing nine films a year, at times. I was glad to have met veteran director, K Balachander during my initial years. It was he who advised that being a hero is a privileged position and I should not let it go for any reason. He also said that direction can happen in the longer run as far as the ‘grey cells’ keep working, which does not happen with acting as the protagonist.
Which is the one subject that you have not been able to explore till date?
I have close to 16 subjects ready to be made into a film. But every time a producer comes and I narrate them the stories, we land up doing something else because of so many commercial compulsions and others factors. So a lot of stories get shelved. But nothing goes waste as portions of the stories you have worked on comes to use in the work you would have taken up. No creative work goes waste and helps you in some other form.
How much should the producer be involved in a film?
I think they should leave the creative decisions with the director which is what all seasoned producers do. Like Rockline Venkatesh or Allu Aravind, they know the value of the director. They never mess around with the creative decisions but when it comes to financials, they always have a say. But a director like me is always open to suggestions.
How about a director’s association with an actor?
It is important to have a good hero or heroine. Half the battle gets solved is we have a good cast. For my latest film, Ganesh fitted the bill because his sense of humour is excellent, a skill that cannot be taught. And luckily, everybody including the heroine, Shanvi Srivastava, Rangayana Raghu, and Sadhu Kokila were excellent choices.