Shwetha R Prasad, who plays a teacher in the serial Radha Ramana was offered a film role after she was noticed in it. For Skanda Ashok, it was the other way round. It was cinema that got him the role of Ramana.
The young man, who plays the protagonist in the serial was already a well-known face in cinema. Having debuted on the large screen with Notebook – a critically acclaimed Malayalam film, Skanda went on to act in positive (Malayalam) and later played the romantic hero in Malli Malli (Telugu)and Elektra , followed by Chaarulatha and U-Turn in Kannada to name a few.
He confesses that he comes from the “old-school” thought where he “never dreamt” of acting for the television. “But Radha Ramana changed all that. It has taught me about the kind of impact TV has on people. In fact, I believe TV is bigger than cinema today. Even budget-wise this serial is no less than a film in anyway. The story too started off with a grand-scale wedding, which was no less when it came to the investment. TV has given me the kind of recognition an actor strives for,” says the actor, who is “overwhelmed” with the positive response he has received so far.
He also talks about the flip side of working for a serial, “You need to commit long hours and months for the shoot. I had to drop a Tamil film project recently. But, as we work for long hours the team becomes like a family,” adds Skanda, who talks about the teams Australian trip for the shoot. “We not only shot at beautiful locations but also travelled and indulged in sky diving and other adventurous stuff.”
