My journey with Kamal is only getting better: Ramesh Aravind

Perhaps no other south Indian filmmaker would have given as many interviews as actor-filmmaker Ramesh Aravind did leading up to the release of his film ‘Uttama Villain’, starring superstar Kamal Haasan in the lead. And yet his enthusiasm hasn’t fizzled out even a bit as we catch up with him for an exclusive tête-à-tête.

The conversation begins as we quiz him whether he was always on Kamal’s mind to direct the film. “Yes,” he declares. “I directed him for a Kannada film ‘Rama Shama Bhama’ eight years ago. It has attained the status of a classic. It seems the idea of handing over a project to me has been lingering in his mind for long. But as he was busy with ‘Dasavatharam’ and ‘Vishwaroopam’ he couldn’t do it.

And when he cracked the script of ‘Uttama Villain’ a couple of years ago, he said that he wanted me to direct it. I was happy to latch on to the offer.” The film narrates two stories – the first one is the tale of a 21st century ageing superstar and the second one is about the life of an 8th century folk artiste, with both the characters being essayed by Kamal.

Ramesh insists that since the subject was vast, he had to prepare for it mentally and physically. “In terms of setup, casting, technical crew and expectations (from the fans), it was huge. But what was light was the soul of the film – it was tender and heart touching story. We had to ensure that the soul was intact irrespective of the massive setup. I guess I have managed it,” explains the director.

The film sees K Balachander, the man who introduced Ramesh to the world of cinema, in a key role. A popular face in Kannada cinema, Ramesh shares that he was never intimated by his late guru’s aura on the sets. “It was a pleasure and honour to direct him. I didn’t have a butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling as I directed him.

I feel mentors know you best and that was the case with KB sir. The comfort levels were very high due to that.” Admittedly, there’s a lot of KB’s filmmaking influence on Ramesh. “From his shot divisions to the way he creates mood on sets, the influence of his work is and will always be there on my filmmaking craft. I grew up watching his, Kamal’s and K Vishwanath’s films.”

Known for his close acquaintance with Kamal, Ramesh says his bond with the acclaimed actor has evolved over the years. “He has been my co-star in nine films and I’ve also directed him. Every time I join forces with him, the experience has been rewarding. My association with him helped my career prosper,” he tells us, adding, “The best part is our journey is getting better.

When two creative minds collaborate together, especially in cinema, creative differences can cause the relationship to sore but thankfully we are mature enough to ensure it won’t happen with us.” With a running time of two hours and 52 minutes, isn’t the film too lengthy to hold the audience attention? “Every story has its own length.

When you write a short story it is for one-and-a-half minutes, when you write a novel it will be for 120 pages and when you write an epic like Mahabharata it will be in 10 volumes. ‘Uttama Villain’, as a film, had two stories to be told and I had to narrate them completely. Otherwise it would have been an incomplete experience,” he responds, signing off.

By Nagaraj Goud