Ravichandran, popularly known as the Crazy Star of Sandalwood, is also known for his straight talk and honest opinions. He has always ensured that he has a say in his work as a filmmaker or an actor. He was conferred an honorary doctorate by CMR University on November 4, and he acknowledged this recognition with a candid statement.
“I have become a doctor to the extent of understanding the pulse of the audience better than before. This award only pushes me to make films that will make them skip heartbeats, and create positivity,” says Ravichandran.
His upcoming film, Aa Drushya, produced by K Manju, will be released on November 8. The film gave an opportunity to Shiva Ganesh to direct the multi-talented personality in a murder mystery subject. Ravichandran restricts himself to do his part in front of the camera this time.
Aa Drushya also sees the Crazy Star playing a younger character, which has also created a buzz, and is said to be one of the highlights of the film.
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“People always want to see their actors young, and so the filmmakers try to figure out some new get-ups and shades for a character. Whether these efforts are worth it will be known once the film hits the screens. While a few filmmakers demand that I look younger, there are also directors who want to make me look 60. One good thing about these different get-ups is that the audience will not think too much know about my real age, and they will only know me as Ravichandran, the Crazy Star,” he says.
Being a filmmaker himself, how much difference does it make for Ravichandran to act in a movie directed by somebody else? He replies, “When I act, I only go by the director’s vision, and I have nothing else to do there. Filmmakers who direct me should make use of Ravichandran, and it depends on each individual. My vision and experience are too extensive for today’s directors to understand. It is better to listen to youngsters and follow their vision, than trying to instill your thoughts into them. However, it is a different scenario when I direct and act in my films. Here, the whole product is mine, and I give the liberty to the audience, to blame or scold me, or appreciate for my work.”
Ravichandran adds that the audience also judges the two kinds of movies differently because the vision of filmmaking is different. “I understand the audience of today, and try to get into their psyche. Ravichandran is known to take risks, especially when it comes to experimenting with films. Once in a while, I also do films that satisfy my ego as a filmmaker. So there is a huge difference between me handling a project, and somebody else handling me as an actor,” he asserts.
The director in him is still alive, he says, making him come up with something new, irrespective of how the industry is behaving. “When it comes to my vision on screen, I make sure that I present it properly. But over the last few months, I am deviating towards commercial elements, and then going with artistic views. I have a couple of reasons. I realised that the audience requires a lot of time to settle down and understand an experimental film. Secondly, I have also come to realise that previously, we were making films for the audience, but today we are making them for critics. Every cine-goer has become a critic today. With mobile phones and internet on the fingertips, the review comes even before the film is complete. The feedback given by them is all over social media, and they either make fun of the film, create memes, and often end up making comparisons,” he says.
The filmmaker, in between his acting assignments, is busy handling his directorial responsibilities too. Ravichandran has completed the shooting of the major portions for Ravi Boppanna, and will next take up Rajendra Ponnappa.