The end of 2014 will remain Rahul Ravindran’s most memorable year. The much awaited hit, the first in his career, came in a most unexpected manner. Ala Ela was indeed a surprise hit. After all, it was directed by debutant Aneesh and had all relative newcomers as the cast with only Vennela Kishore to complement their work. When a small budget film releases and competes with big banners, chances of it succeeding are very slim. Rahul agrees, “We had a relatively small release and there were not many theatres. We wished for a better release. There was Yamaleela sequel and Rough that had three times our marketing budget. I thank god for the word of mouth publicity and the media supporting us with good reviews. Even on the first day there was 60 per cent occupancy in the theatres and those who saw the film posted on FB and Twitter that it was a sweet film and people should watch it and it worked. However good a film is, the difference a review makes is noteworthy. It does bring a great deal of credibility, thanks to the social media too.”
While Rahul’s New Year had begun already, he shares the info that his wife Chinmayi was a bit worried before the release but is now extremely happy. “She was relieved because it was a hit and also the first release after our marriage. She even dubbed for one of the heroines in Ala Ela . As an actor who doesn’t have an established market and a very good opening, when we are doing a film, we are worried if it would be a quality product or not. That is the only thing that matters to us because usually what we are narrated is not what we see on screen. With this film, even while seeing the scenes on the monitor during the shoot, we thought it was shaping up well. But we couldn’t judge; we had a good feeling nevertheless.”
Coming to Aneesh, he heaps praises on him and says the director has a knack for spotting talent, be it him or Bhanushree Mehra or for that matter even the music director. “It is a good time pass film and those who watched it once are texting me that they had watched it twice and thrice already. I wanted the crowd to watch only once but this is a bonus. The title Ala Ela was not liked by many but the director and me were in its favour. The producer stood by what the director wanted and it kind of worked out for the film. The director is getting tonnes of offers from production houses. The film is into its fifth week now and turned profitable for its producer. We got a limited release and the theatres kept adding screens one by one. It took time to break even.”
There is more to come in 2015. The actor has signed a Bollywood movie. It is an investigative thriller. He adds, “The whole story happens in one day and I play a cop in the middle of an investigation. It is not the typical cop bashing villains. Somewhere, it also becomes personal. A new heroine is being launched and music is by Ishq Bector Besharam . Director Vinil saw Andala Rakshasi and wanted someone like me with a soft and an intense look.” Rahul will also be acting in Anjana Ali Khan’s Tamil rom com Palaandu Vaazhga and Tiger with Seerat Kapoor is almost done. Before he signs off, he reveals that the sequel to Ala Ela will take off in June.
