Rag Mayur, who shot to fame with his portrayal of Maridesh Babu in the indie hit Cinema Bandi, has played memorable supporting roles in works like Keedaa Cola, Gandhi Tatha Chettu, and Veeranjaneyulu Vihara Yathra. However, with Sivarapalli, the official Telugu adaptation of popular Hindi series Panchayat from TVF, where he plays the protagonist Shyam, Rag Mayur gears for a new chapter in his acting career.
As Sivarapalli enters the 3rd week of its successful streaming run, Rag Mayur talks to CE about the challenges of reinterpreting the iconic Panchayat protagonist for the Telugu audience, what reassured him despite many self-doubts, and what unique elements he can bring to the table.
Excerpts:
What was your first reaction when you were offered 'Sivarapalli'?
When I told my industry friends about the project, everyone said I was the best fit for the role. They saw a certain non-Alpha figure in me, and Shyam is just that. He is not the one to fight for things; he adjusts easily.
While my friends instilled good confidence, I still had my own fears, which I never did earlier. In my previous roles, I had the freedom to create my own aura. Here, I had to erase all traces and create something fresh.
Shyam, your character in 'Sivarapalli' is all about reacting to the chaos around him...
I hadn’t watched Panchayat earlier; I was in a phase where it was overwhelming to watch anything. So when I finally watched the show after getting the part in Sivarapalli, this was the first thing I noticed too. I told my creative producer, ‘This is going to be a different ballgame altogether.’
I was conscious of not disappointing those bingewatching this show. Shyam is already a boring man — my job was to make him interesting. he operates within a small range of reactions. If the scale of subtlety to over-the-top is from 0 to 100, Shyam mostly operates within 0-10.
Weren’t you worried about your performance being influenced as you watched the original?
I had to watch it to see different layers of storytelling and to see what the show was trying to say. Every episode has something to say, but not in your face. There is something called ‘superobjective’ in every play or movie — where whatever you do, overacting or subtle acting, is aligned to the overall objective. So you shouldn’t go for the low-hanging fruits of histrionics.
Was there any particularly difficult scene, in terms of capturing Shyam’s emotional turmoil?
Honestly, I didn’t have much difficulty; I went in with a good amount of prep. Every day, I would talk to both my co-actors and director Bhaskhar Maurya before shooting. I don’t feel I am a gifted actor. However, preparation gives you the confidence to improvise.
However, in the scene where Shyam is interrogated by police and reaches an emotional threshold, we had to get the audience’s empathy. So that scene took a lot of retakes. It resonated with men, because for most men, there comes a phase where you slowly lose your inner circle and reach a point of discontent.
Every actor in that scene was so good..
Good casting is half the job done. Every small character in Sivarapalli was a ten-on-ten — be it Vamsi, who played the groom, or Narendra, who played the groom’s friend.
Whenever I meet good actors, I keep referring them to filmmakers. I know where I came from; there were days when I wish I was referred. Now that I have some standing, I feel I should help as much as possible. It’s only when actors innovate that the storytelling progresses.
What was TVF’s involvement in the project like?
Nikhil Vaddiboina, our creative producer, was the bridge between TVF and us. He is natively Telugu, and he also knows Bombay industry. He put everything together — the talent, crew, etc.
Also, Nikhil had great clarity on how much we needed to shoot every day. Sometimes, we kept on shooting for sake of perfection, but he knew where to stop and how much was enough. Sometimes I would be doubtful whether I got it right, but Nikhil and Bhaskhar would assure me.
'Panchayat' has a strong, loyal fanbase. Were you prepared for the criticism too?
Some people have an elitist approach — I had that phase too, where I judged everyone who didn’t like Anurag Kashyap films. But then you grow up. So when people criticised the Sivarapalli trailer, you know where it came from. However, once the show was out, my social media was filled with how surprised people were. The real kick was to receive appreciation from those who had already watched the original.
Many leading film personalities have said that the audience has become more cynical now. Do you agree?
Remember the ‘Is technology boon or bane’ debates we had in school? It’s exactly the same scenario. Be it praise or criticism, every reaction gets exponentially bigger through social media, whether it’s a big film receiving criticism online or a show like Sivarapalli getting popular purely on word-of-mouth.
Until now, you have selected roles that call for relatively restrained acting. Aren’t you tempted to choose a conventionally OTT character?
Even if I choose any such role, I will do it with my style of conviction, not make it look spoofy — where you look at it differently, and yet in a commercial space.
That’s where an actor like Nani excels. You pick any of his films — he is mainstream and yet not. He has carefully carved out that image where he is commercially viable, and people are comfortable seeing him in that zone. I believe I can bring that to the table.
Q: Do you see any genuine potential of Hindi audience’s crossover into regional streaming shows as well?
Yes, but we need to provide volume of good content — that’s when people will turn their heads towards our streaming shows too. Giving an example from my own career, Cinema Bandi was like a pan-India thing. People across the states watched it and realised, “they are not just making commercial stuff.”
Do you believe the image of Telugu cinema has truly changed now?
A few years back, some other industries used to mock us. But now they are seeing how we are balancing creativity and commercial elements; Pushpa 2 is the biggest example. And those who mocked, those who were seen as pioneers of filmmaking, they themselves are not able to make anything successful now.
After playing a solo lead in 'Sivarapalli', are you more conscious about choosing your projects going forward?
Obviously, I wouldn’t accept a role with one or two scenes any longers. I can be one of the main characters; it doesn’t have to be a solo lead — as long as it’s meaty and has an impact. Today, it’s more about ensemble. The era of one-man shows has now boiled down to certain kind of movies.
Tell us about your upcoming projects.
There is Paradha, which will probably release in May. I have Garividi Lakshmi, where I play a Burra Katha artist. Apart from that, I am doing a comedy with GA2 banner.