Humour is delicate to handle: Rishi

The Kannada film ‘Ramana Avaratara’ directed by debutante director, Vikas Pampapathi is slated for release next week. It is about a man named Ramakrishna who aspires to be a political leader. The film follows his battles and the situations he has to face to emerge as a true leader. 

In a conversation with Showtime, the film’s lead actor, Rishi from ‘Operation Alamelamma’ fame speaks about his character, why he chose to do the film and about the comedy genre. Excerpts:

Why did you pick this film?

Firsty, it’s a light-hearted breezy entertainer. But cinema for me personally is about what we are trying to say through it or why is this important. I try to answer these questions before I pick a film. 

The story is loosely inspired from the ‘Ramayana’. When we narrate a mythological story in an entertaining way set in the modern world, we can bring in elements of it through the story and still make it a relevant film for the present day audience. That was one of the reasons I found it interesting. The film also talks about migrants in Bengaluru. In any big city, you’ll find a big migrant population. Why is it so high? Because of lesser job opportunities. This has also become a very relevant topic today. That’s what got me into it.

Do you like doing comedy films?

In this film, one thing that I actually liked was the clean humour. After ‘Operation Alamelamma’, a lot of people wanted a similar film. But that is a different genre altogether. It’s a little scary because humour can go wrong anytime. It’s very delicate to handle. So I was a little wary. Everybody needs to be in sync — I as an actor, the writer, director, the editor — only then will the joke land correctly. ‘Ramana Avatara’ is not a typical laugh-out-loud kind of humour. It has subtle situational comedy which will put a smile on your face.

Tell me about your character in the film.

People call him Gentleman Rama. His name is actually Ramakrishna. He poses as a local leader and calls himself Gentleman Rama. He primarily wants to do good for his town. He works towards creating jobs in his village for the locals. But he is a little rogue. He is always getting into trouble. The conflicts and problems that he gets into forms the rest of the film. The film follows the journey of this character and it flows episodically.

What is the film trying to convey through the retelling of Ramayana?

Lord Rama faced many conflicts and situations in his life but he faced them with grace. I’ve always been fascinated by it. I feel the present generation is not equipped to handle conflicts. A lot of awareness has been created about, for example, mental health but we don’t know how to handle them.

That’s when we have to go back to these characters who are already there in the Indian ecosystem. It’s easier for us to relate to a familiar character and apply it to our lives. 

What was it like to work with the director, Vikas Pampapathi?

I met Vikas when we were promoting ‘Operation Alamelamma’. He had a YouTube channel called Naati Factory. It was an interesting channel and we collaborated for a promotional video for the film. While we were doing that, he told me he wanted to talk about a story. Then after the release of ‘Operation Alamelamma’, he narrated the script of ‘Ramana Avatara’. This is one project I have enjoyed all through, the shooting days and everything. It has a very feel good vibe, be it the subject or the themes. It was a thoroughly enjoyable project. He is a young director with a fresh perspective — he is open to new things and bringing out fresh experiences. 

Why should the audience watch the film?

Apart from being a comedy entertainer, it’s a family friendly movie. Even kids can watch it. We’ve received a ‘U’ certification. That’s what we intended to do.