Shivaji Surathkal -- The Case of Ranagiri Rahasya is Ramesh Aravind’s 101st film, however, the actor admits that he is going through the same kind of excitement like he had when he started with 1, 21, 31, “I still have the same enthusiasm when I head for the shooting, improvising the scenes, and getting into the role like I did when I started my debut. That’s what keeps me going. 101 makes me feel that I am starting all over again. It is just that I am getting a little wiser, and want to do new things,” the actor says.
Three years after Pushpaka Vimana, the audience is getting to see Ramesh Aravind back on the silver screen. This time with Shivaji Surathkal.
“I was very busy over the last three years. I directed two films — The Queen remakes —Butterfly in Kannada and Paris Paris in Tamil. I was also part of two reality shows on television. Meanwhile, I was busy hopping between the sets of three films -- Shivaji Surathkal, 100 and Bhairadevi. Work has been non-stop. Probably all of it will all be out in 2020,” he says.
The actor, who has been successful with romantic, comedy and family-based films, says he was waiting for the right kind of subject.
“I did try working on the thriller genre in one of my previous films Accident. But it’s the first time I’m playing a detective on,” says Ramesh, adding, “Unlike other genres, death becomes an emotional moment, but in a thriller, it’s a puzzle, and another way to look at the end. In such films, the audience is not bothered about the feelings, but are more focused on who the culprit is, which makes it an interesting way to approach the film. If you don’t immerse yourself in Shivaji Surathkal, the climax won’t make sense, says Ramesh.
While he’s taking up a thriller genre for the first time, the actor himself doesn’t feel that it has come a little late in the day.
“Even today, my wife and daughter watch films and series such as The Mentalist or Sherlock Holmes on Netflix. When the household ladies are fond of movies like these, you should be making that,” Ramesh adds.
According to Ramesh, Shivaji Surathkal is the desi version of Sherlock Holmes, a character who he has been a huge fan of.
“There are detectives all over the world, who can solve problems. But Sherlock is so attractive because of the way he is. Shivaji too, thinks differently. He suffers from depression, but as they say, Beautiful minds at times are on the edge of insanity, explains Ramesh, while he reveals that the credit roles have the makers paying tribute to both -- Agatha Christie and Arthur Canon Doyle Akash Srivatsa, the director of the film, has been following the works of Ramesh, and was keen to see him in a different avatar.
“He was an assistant director in Accident, which is when he made his entry into cinema. On one of the posters he had designed, was done well. I knew he had a good sense of editing, and when he narrated this script to me, I also gave suggestions, and then decided to take it up. I wanted the climax to be something terrific and never seen before. They worked on it six times with a full-fledged bound script, after which we finalised it,” Ramesh recalls.
Shivaji Surathkal will still have the elements of love, and emotions, which audience look out for in Ramesh’s films.
“At the same time, there’s this loudmouth, an interesting character that people should look out for,” says Ramesh, signing off with Alfred Hitchcock’s lines.
“The movie-goer purchases a Rs 500 ticket to watch a film and relax. It is the duty of the director to make him sit at the edge of his seat. I hope Shivaji Surathkal is able to do that,” he says.