CHENNAI: Actor Rajeev Ravindranathan, who was seen in movies like 3 Idiots and English Vinglish, is currently under quarantine after testing positive for Covid, but nothing could be more comforting than a warm bowl of soup and all the positive responses that his latest Rocketry: The Nambi Effect has been garnering. The movie is based on the life of Padma Bhushan recipient Nambi Narayanan, a former scientist and aerospace engineer at the ISRO. R Madhavan, who has directed and written the screenplay, portrays the role of Narayanan.
The outpouring of love from the audience and stars alike has been overwhelming for Ravindranathan , who plays Param, a scientist in Nambi’s team. “My character is an amalgamation of a few characters from Nambi’s life. Param can be described as Laxman to Nambi’s Ram. He is a supporter and a firm believer of everything that Nambi stands for. Param lives his patriotism for India through Nambi,” says Ravindranathan.
Since the character is fictitious, Ravindranathan borrowed a lot of nuances of his character from the script. “I am an actor who likes to pick up from whatever the lines are telling me. You have to understand there is always the subconscious at work when a dialogue writer is penning the scenes. And I try to tap into that. I quickly picked on this character’s social awkwardness and the fact that his fellow scientists are his entire world,” he explained, adding that he also followed Madhavan’s instructions on the character.
Ravindranathan got to know about the movie in 2018 from Madhavan. “I took the script and went to the balcony for three hours. And when I came back, I had mixed feelings and told him, I would do anything to tell Nambi’s story,” laughs Ravindranathan.
Even though he knew there were meatier parts in the movie, he has no qualms about playing Param. “There is a certain way I project myself on screen, and I think the directors know what they will get when they put me in front of the camera. Screentime is of scant importance to me. If I am going to get entertained by the character, then I am going to do the part,” says the actor.
He recalls, for 3 Idiots he auditioned for another role, but he didn’t get it. “Raju (Hirani) said there is a small role of a senior student who rags Aamir Khan and I was game,” he laughs. Ravindranathan is looking forward to working with director R Balki’s upcoming project Chup, which stars Dulquer Salmaan, Sunny Deol, Pooja Bhatt and Shreya Dhanwanthary.
Superstar speaks
The movie has been getting a lot of attention from several stars, including superstar Rajinikanth who tweeted, “Everyone should watch Rocketry, especially the youngsters. To develop the space research program of our country, Padma Bhushan Nambi Narayanan had made many sacrifices and faced a lot of struggles. Madhavan has made a biopic on his life. He has delivered a very lived-in performance and in his very first film, he has proved that he is on par with other great filmmakers. I thank him for giving us such a film. Congratulations. (sic)”