Stunt choreographer Ravi Verma’s long-cherished dream of playing a menacing villain has finally come true. The stunt master, who has worked in south Indian films as well as Bollywood, has appeared in cameos earlier. He has now challenged himself to essay the role of a deaf and mute antagonist in Rohit’s upcoming venture, Rowdy Fellow. Interestingly, the film’s script, which is mentored by Ugramm and KGF director Prashanth Neel, also marks the directorial debut of the actor, TV presenter and RJ. “Though my forte has been choreographing stunts, I also had his thirst for acting.
I have always wanted to play a villain’s role, and not a hero. I share a good rapport with Rohit, who is a good friend of mine, and he showed faith in my capabilities. The negative role sketched by them has scope for performance, and so I took it up,” says Ravi Verma, who has completed the shoot. Talking about his experience, he says, “My focus was only on the action part and how I should emote since I didn’t have dialogues to deliver. Even you can see the human qualities in a villain.
I thought it was an interesting character to play.” Rowdy Fellow is presented by FFF and bankrolled by Swarnalatha Productions in association with Padmavathi Pictures. The film also features Tamil actor Vidya Pradeep in the female lead role, and Urvashi in a pivotal role. Nakul Abhyankar has done the song compositions, while Ravi Basrur has done the background score. Cinematography has been handled by Lavith.
Ravi Verma juggles stunt choreography, acting and direction
The stunt director reveals that he has been offered negative roles in a couple of Bollywood films too, and that he is currently in the midst of discussions with them. “Talks are on with a few filmmakers, and I will be able to finalise once the pandemic subsides,” he tells CE. Meanwhile, Ravi Verma, apart from being involved in stunt choreography and acting, has also tried his hands at direction, with , Rustum starring Shivarajkumar. Taking it forward, he has used the lockdown time to get ready with a couple of scripts, and is waiting for the right time to narrate the story to the actors who he thinks will fit the bill.