Having launched Raavani with Pooja Gandhi, director D J Chakravarthy aka Chakravarthy Chandrachud seems to believe in the metaphor - ‘ Ideas pull the trigger, but instinct loads the gun.’ He proved it so, when he gifted a gun to his lead actor of Raavani, JD Chakravarthy during a promotional press conference. The film produced by Gandhi Productions is touted to make a mark in the genre of crime and action cinema and commenting on the gift, JD says, “It is said that ‘who ever gifts a gun can never be a good friend.’ Initially I was taken aback, but realised that he was not gifting a gun to ‘JD Chakravarthy’, he was gifting it to my character in Raavani. It is quite a symbolic gift for my character and I understood the motive behind it. It was a pleasant surprise.”
Apparently, the story of Raavani was narrated to JD for five hours and in turn, he asked over 35 questions to the director before he agreed to be part of the project. “When Chandrachud narrated the script, the director mentioned that he liked the seriousness in the portrayal of my characters and that’s the reason he wanted me to play this role,” he says. According to the actor, his role in the film has several shades giving scope to portray every aspect, be it arrogance, humour, sadism, optimism or romance. “Raavani sees me in a characterless character. I was excited about the number of shades that I had to play. I don’t buy characters but I buy a story. I like the script in totality and it made me jump at the chance to play this role,” he says.
Admitting that no Kannada script excited him before Raavani, he reveals that he maintains a close relation with some of the stalwarts of the industry. “Shivarajkumar is a close friend and so is Malashree. I also know Priyanka Upendra as we acted together,” says the multifaceted actor. Apart from Raavani, the actor is also going to be a part of several films in the South. He will also be directing a Hindi film. “I also have a Telugu film with Ramgopal Varma. I just finished two Tamil films as an actor. I also had a Malayalam release, Bhaskar the Rascal with Mammootty, directed by Siddique . The film is doing very well,” he says. The actor who loves the darker side of a character has always been recognised for his gangster roles in films like Satya and Company et al. Chakravarthy’s off screen persona is no less interesting. “In real life, I never want to be what I play on screen, simply because I have been there, done that. Secondly I don’t want anyone to know anything about me. I will never reveal who I really am and what I want to be in my personal life. I am not a very sociable person and I don’t have friends and I don’t intend to have any.
I am happy to be by myself,” says JD, adding, “I don’t want to sell the idea that I am a nice human being. I am frank and honest. That doesn’t mean that I am a straight -forward person, I am a big manipulator.” Talking about his single status, he says, “I am completely preoccupied with directing, producing, editing and acting in films. I am used to this kind of life. Marriage is not currently my priority. My mother hasn’t questioned me about my marriage. I don’t want to ruins any girl’s life.” Of course, he loves having an ongoing affair with films. “I am currently having an affair with a film called Raavani, a subject, which has a strong appeal. I would not want to give the theme, any gender. There is a force in it that defies lables,” hesays.