Ramesh Aravind who recently concluded the third season of Weekend With Ramesh , a celebrity talk show in Kannada, is not only an eminent figure in the Kannada film industry, but is also known in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam cinema for his unique charm.
Ramesh started off as an actor, playing subtle and deeply emotional roles in his initial years. Through Rama Shama Bhama , a 2005 comedy film with his long-time collaborator Kamal Haasan, he began his directorial journey. Excerpts from the interview.
“After relocating from Mettur in Tamil Nadu, I was admitted to Sri Kumarans Children’s Home in Bengaluru. I didn’t know either English or Kannada. I was laughed at when I did not understand what my classmates were saying. All I did was to cry for three days continuously,” says Ramesh. “My dad told me, ‘It is just a language, my boy. When people can speak 14 of them, isn’t it possible for you to learn one or two?”
“I think that set me in motion, and I never looked back ever since. By the third test, I could score 98 out of 100 in Kannada,” recalls Ramesh, of his hard times in school. “But once I surpassed the language barriers, academics became a smooth journey. I remember I could recite the physics text book in my higher classes from the beginning till the end, including the name of the publisher,” he laughs.
An orator is born
“My teachers had got me started on debating in class VIII. This is how my association with the stage began. Whatever I am now is all because of the debating skills I developed during school and college. I was close to my English teacher in school. It was in his house that I first tasted sambar with sugar. When he retired, the whole class was in tears,” he recollects fondly, of his connection with teachers.
About activities in college, he says, “While pursuing engineering at University Visvesvaraya College (UVCE), Bengaluru, my friends and I used to participate in mad-ads and skit competitions where we always bagged the first prize. Actor and TV host Sihi Kahi Chandru, used to be our opponent from MES College, Malleswaram. I was friendly with everyone and was never involved in group politics, which gave me ample time to engage in extracurricular activities and simultaneously be good at studies.”
“I never imagined I would end up in cinema as I had joined UVCE to become an engineer,” he says. “But my public speaking skills were recognised in various forums during college. I got opportunities on radio, TV and then in cinema. It has been a natural process.”
Success mantra
“Youngsters can be good at many things at the same time. All you need to do is choose things in which your natural inclination lies, concentrate fully on what you are doing, give your 100 per cent to it, trusting only your instincts. You will do well and be of use to others. It is also crucial for you to keep both body and mind healthy and filled with inspiring thoughts for which reading becomes essential, be it any profession,” he says.
