Almost 70 per cent of Apoorva has been shot inside a lift and despite this the film has managed to pack in seven songs, all of which are melodic in nature.
Actor-director-producer Ravichandran has already raised expectations from the film as the audio rights of Apoorva have been bought by music company Lahari for 72 lakhs. This is a new record in the Kannada film industry. Ravichandran and Lahari Audio finalised the deal on January 1. The director believes that this deal follows the long-standing tradition of respect that the music company has for Eshwari Productions run by his family.
“Actually, G Manohar Naidu of Lahari and I have not spoken to each other for the last 25 years. Yet, after three months of negotiation, we have managed to strike a deal. The people at Lahari heard the songs and really liked it. However, when it came to the payment, we didn’t know what to ask and they didn’t know how much to pay. Finally, he gave me a blank cheque and I understood that the idea behind it was to rekindle our relationship,” explains Ravichandran.
Ravichandran, who has carried the entire film on his shoulders says, “Andu Endu Premaloka, Endu mundu Apoorva (Back then it was Premaloka and from now, it will be Apoorva). It will be just another Premaloka for me. The only difference is that I am 53 years old now,” he says.
The actor-director calls the film a romance for all ages. “The interesting thing is that a majority of the film is inside the lift and it is quite experimental in nature. Howvever, there is a commercial element and I am confident that the audience will like this new take on a love story. Also the film is quite a one man show as the story, investment and music, direction is done by me,” he says adding, “The songs are haunting and are very different from today’s music. Usually, an album will have one or two melodies, but this consists of only melodious numbers.”
Velu, Managing director of Lahari and brother of Manohar Naidu, says, “It is the relationship we wanted to maintain with Eshwari productions. This banner has made hits like Premaloka, Ranadheera, Shanti Kranti, which have also made Lahari Audio famous. We wanted to continue with the same and so Apoorva happened. It is a much awaited film from a versatile actor and director. He came home and had a discussion for many hours with us and finally the deal was done,” he says.