He has this innate ability to do the unthinkable, and make it a reality when it comes to film making. Not one to compromise on his dreams, this one man army, Crazy Star of Sandalwood, V Ravichandran is happier than ever with his latest film Apoorva. In fact, he feels that his years of hard work have finally paid off as Apoorva is ready to release this Friday. Incidentally, it is also just a few days prior to his birthday on May 30.
The showman speaks from the heart as he looks forward confidently to this extraordinary film which he feels will surpass his popular and evergreen hit Prema Loka too. And in his words, “would do no less than '100 crores business.”
“It is an expression versus innocence. Majority of the film takes place in an elevator, 90 minutes of the entire duration of the film is a dialogue between a 61-year-old man and a 19-year-old girl. Even Kiccha Sudeep will appear in a scene. The songs are the other main highlight of the film and they go a long way in helping the narration. It is a story that has never been told before and will be a totally new experience,” reveals Ravichandran, adding that he is confident that Apoorva will beat Prema Loka in every aspect.
Not called Crazy Star without reason, he lives it to the hilt — he created a whole new set up at his residence in Rajajinagar, including an elevator with special cameras installed to capture every emotion during the shoot of Apoorva. Apart from a few odd scenes shot outdoors, Apoorva has been a well-guarded project.
Going beyond just direction, he feels that he has “designed” the film and this saw him work in almost every department with great attention to detail. “On the selection of the female lead who plays the 19-year-old, I cast her after I received photos through mail. I responded, inviting ‘Apoorva,’ but unfortunately, I was disappointed with her when I saw her in real life. I had in fact rejected her but later called her again, did some special photo shoots, and auditions, so she had no clue when we finally selected her,” says Ravichandran.
The actress who made her first public appearance recently, says she is based in Chikmagalur and came to Mysuru for studies. “I somehow managed to get Ravichandran’s e-mail ID, to which I sent a few photographs. I was so disappointed when I got rejected, but all is well that ends well. And the experience was very good. I learnt so much — being punctual, honest and hardworking. It was a life-time experience,” says Apoorva. In fact, neither the Crazy Star nor the actress have revealed her real name. Apoorva is the screen name given by the Crazy Star, and he even wishes that the actress carry on with the same name. She has acted with minimal make-up, as the director liked to keep her looking like a simple girl-next-door.
Jubilant about the project that he spent many sleepless nights over, the Crazy Star feels that this will be the happiest birthday ever as his dream project is releasing close to the date. “I will be even happier if Apoorva is released at Kapali, as its main theatre. I am very sentimental about it. My most successful films Prema Loka, Ranadheera and many more were released at Kapali,” Ravichandran says, adding, “It was nostalgic to work in the same studio for some scenes where Prema Loka and Ranadheera were also shot.” We wish the star a Crazy “success” with this new release.
