AS Ravi Kumar in demand

After discovering his touch with last year release ‘Pilla Nuvvu Leni Jeevitham’ (PNLJ), director AS Ravi Kumar Chowdary is in a hurry as he, besides current film with Gopichand, is in talks for three other projects. “My film with Gopichand releases on December 25. I will start another film with a top hero in January 2016.

It will be followed by a film with either Kalyan Ram or Sai Dharam Tej,” he exults, adding that he is also in talks with a superstar for a big project. “I’m planning my career in a way that I will be occupied with work all the time.”

‘PNLJ’ success, insists Ravi, gave him the required push. “After the debacle of ‘Em Pillo Em Pillado’ I realised the need to be different and hence started focusing more on screenplay. ‘PNLJ’ script was wrapped up in a short time but screenplay took longer and it made all the difference,” he gushes.

“I now believe that how you narrate a story on screen is more important that what you write.” Dismissing that his film with Gopichand, with whom he made the box office smash ‘Yagnam’ more than a decade ago, as a sequel to ‘Loukyam’, he says, “Though it’s high on entertainment it will be in contrast to ‘Loukyam’.

It is a family drama and features the likes of Jayaprakash Reddy, Mukesh Rishi, Ashutosh Rana, Prithvi, Adhurs Raghu, Surekha Vani and Saptagiri in supporting roles. The first half, barring songs, has been wrapped up.”

Ravi avers that Gopi plays a vibrant character in the film. “He will be a livewire and the way he uses other characters in the film will leave the audience in splits. He will look chic. I liked the way he was presented in ‘Jil’ and we took extra care to ensure that we better his ‘Jil’ look,” he shares.

“Though he is a bigger star now, he still has the same fire that he had in him when I made ‘Yagnam’ (with him). He is more bothered about what he brings to the table than other things.” Ravi, who had played supporting roles in films like ‘Jagadam’ and ‘Broker’, had enough of acting. “I want to be an engine that drives the bogies,” he smiles.

“Very recently Teja garu and the father of a top director (probably referring to Vijayendra Prasad) approached me for roles in their (respective) films but I politely refused them, saying I’m more focused on direction now,” signs off Ravi who will be celebrating his birthday today in Hyderabad.

By Nagaraj Goud