Ajai Rao is a cautious man. And rightfully so, having tirelessly walked towards success with Krishna Leela which has been declared a box office hit and has completed 100 days. He has now taken the next step and has decided to get associated with producer Uday Mehta for a project to be helmed by Anil Kumar.
Confirming this bit is Uday himself, who asserts that he is glad to work with the actor after five years. “I produced one of Ajai’s earlier films Krishnan Love Story, which gave him a good break in Sandalwood. It was my long pending wish to work with him again and after five years, we are associating for another film. In fact, I had the opportunity to produce Krishna Leela but since I was involved in another project, he decided to produce it himself and emerged as a winner,” says Uday, who seems to quite understand the cautious stance taken up by the actor in choosing his next release.
“It becomes a responsibility of every actor, especially when accepted well by the audience, to make sure not to take anything for granted,” he says.
On choosing Anil, whose previous and first film as a director was the successful Dilwala starring Sumanth Shailendra and Radhika Pandit, Uday emphasises that he is a good technician, a polished dialogue writer and the future of the industry. “I felt that his talent matches that of Ajai. We have got the one-liner approved and the director is developing the story, which will take some time,” Uday reveals.
The producer will be finalising the technicians and the rest of the cast and then the film will start rolling by August 15. “The film is planned as a youthful entertainer, catering to all kinds of audience,” he says.
Though the film is yet-to-be-titled, Uday is sure to name the character as Krishna, considering that the name is synonymous with Ajai’s reel and real life. “Krishna has been a regular name for Ajai in most films. In fact, he has added it to his real name and now is called Krishna Ajai Rao. If I can’t have a title that features Krishna, the screen name for Ajai will remain just Krishna,” he says.
Commenting on Ajai’s long hair, Uday rejects the assumption that it is for the character in their film. “Ajai is growing his hair and trying out different styles only for his personal grooming and to know what kind of looks can suit him. He has also got into a lot of training classes and it is his call to experiment like this,” he says.