Anchor turned actor Rahul did not feel complete after performing his roles in Nanusire, Abhimani, Chamkaisi Chindi Udaisi and Hrudayadalli Edeindu. He knew he had to change, mature and recreate himself, and was desperately looking for direction. That came with actor Sudeep who acted as a beam of sunshine, imparting warmth, inspiration and vibrancy. And Rahul finally found himself under Sudeep’s guidance and now the talented actor is learning to walk tall.
He has been offered to play the lead in the yet-to-be-titled film, a remake of the Tamil flick Jigarthanda, that featured Siddharth. The film is currently being made in Kannada under Sudeep’s banner. The actor has finished the first schedule and just cannot stop praising the concern shown by ‘Captain’, as he respectfully calls Sudeep after their Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) association. “Captain and his wife Priya treat me like their family member. Moreover, on the professional front, if you go by the track record of Sudeep, he has given opportunities to various newcomers who have established themselves, especially directors A Harsha, Nanda Kishore and musician Arjun Janya,” says Rahul.
Knowing Sudeep, who lives and breathes movies and has a knack to spot talent, it may not be too early to state that Rahul has the potential to become a sensation in Sandalwood.
But the young actor says modestly, “Sudeep keeps telling me, ‘Nothing is permanent in the film industry. Tomorrow somebody else will occupy my place’, which is a reminder to me that fame is not forever.” It was during CCL that Sudeep spotted Rahul and the actor admits that the game was indeed a game changer for him. “We had these after match parties where there was a lot of entertainment and captain used to watch everybody. Then one day, he came up and offered me the film. At that point, I was thinking to be part of a remake of Dhanush’s film VIP (Velaiyilla Pattathari) but he suggested I pick Jigarthanda because the whole film will not entirely fall on my shoulders as there were options with other characters. I could feel the genuineness of his belief in me,” he explains.
Rahul admits that he never understood the value of being an actor till he took up Jigarthanda. “I got roles when I was not hungry but later when I was craving for good films, I did not get any opportunity for over three years. Today, I feel nourished,” says the actor.
According to Rahul, as a producer, Sudeep is looking after every aspect of filmmaking. “Along with Shivan, the director of the film, Sudeep even shot a few scenes. He has also asked for spot editing. He watches the rushes and if at all there are any corrections, we will reshoot again. That way, I get to understand my pluses or minuses which makes you feel confident,” he says.
The shooting of the film is currently going on in Bengaluru after which they plan to proceed to Hubballi and Raibag. Along with Rahul, the film also sees Ravishankar, Samyuktha Hornad among others.
The CCL experience
Rahul is a big fan of Sachin, Salman Khan and Sudeep and through CCL, he was able to meet two of them - Salman and Sudeep. And his love for the game also taught him how sweet success tastes when it comes after a long struggle. “I played a lot of cricket with players like Robin Uthappa. But I struggled for over three years to be a batsman under Sudeep’s captaincy. I was a substitute and supplying water to other players till one day Sudeep noticed my talent. Again it was his wife Priya, who suggested that he watch me play. It clicked and from a substitute, I became the opening batsman. At the recent CCL, I was the most consistent and won the award for the ‘coolest player,’” he says.