His debut project FLY didn’t give actor Dingri Nagaraj’s son Rajavardhan the start he needed in the film industry, but that hasn’t kept the newcomer from pursuing his acting dreams. “The shooting for FLY was interrupted due to production issues,” he says.
The young talent is, however happy that he is finally getting noticed in Sandalwood and has no qualms of debuting in multistarrer projects.
Rajavardhan has wrapped up shooting for Noorondu Nenapu. The film directed by Kumaresh sees him along with Chetan and Meghana Raj among others. He tells City Express, “Though I gave my hundred per cent in FLY, I had to start from scratch with Noorondu Nenapu."
The actor will now start with shooting for Ira, from today, which yet consists of an ensemble cast. “I basically picked up this film for a reason. Though the film made under Harsha Entertainers, its association is with Wadeyar Movies, a production house of Pavan Wadeyar, who is a well-known director," he explains.
Rajavardhan admits that the delay in his launch was unfortunate. “I entered the film industry in 2012, just after my graduation and it took two years to sign FLY. Though the film’s shoot started off very well, the excitement didn’t last. I couldn’t fault anyone because all of us were newcomers. I got stuck with FLY from 2014 in the hope that we can make it, only to realise that I had no control over it. The next best thing I thought was to move on and that’s when I chose Noorondu Nenapu, which will now mark my debut,” says Rajavardhan. “However, the makers of my first film have assured me that they’ll bring out FLY and I keep my fingers crossed,” he shares.
The actor is happy with his character DSP (Dayanand Shankar Patil)in Noorondu Nenapu. “I heard the production house considered many actors and did auditions before choosing me,” says Rajavardhan, who apparently was chosen after the team saw him in a commercial directed by Tarun Sudhir. “I watched the original Marathi film and going by the role, I am confident that the character I play carries a mass look, shown along with Chetan, who plays a class hero,” he says.
With Ira, he is happy to associate with Atul Kulkarni and Vasishta Simha in a suspense thriller. “The film runs is about three characters and this will be a change from my previous roles and will give more scope for my performance,” he says.
Today Rajavardhan is glad to see a sign of relief in his father’s eyes, who was equally worried about his career. “He didn’t know what to tell people when they asked about me. Hopefully with three of my films releasing next year, he will have something to talk about,” he says.
Despite being an actor’s son and having the acting abilities, finding a place in Sandalwood has been difficult for Rajavardhan. “Just because I am an actor’s son, I don’t get a red-carpet welcome. In fact it has been more a difficult than for newcomers, who come with no acting background. There is pressure back at home and outside and answering to all of them has become quite an effort,” says Rajavardhan.
“However, in spite of no release, I am getting support from a few industry people and even getting offers as a solo hero. But I am scared to take them up now because they are mostly from newcomers and I don’t want to burn my fingers again. I am ready to take risks, but before that I want one of my films to be out for people to witness my work, only then I can expect directors to offer me roles. Even the big stars of Kannada industry haven’t seen anything from me to appreciate my talent. I hope all of my efforts will bear fruit next year and take my career forward,” he signs off.