The upcoming film ‘Rajayogam’ is a mixture of crime, comedy, adventure and a dose of intimacy. Starring relatively new faces in the lead, the film boasts 15 comedians from the popular Telugu comedy show ‘Jabardasth’. Animation developer-turned-filmmaker Ram Ganapathi speaks on his film which is hitting theatres this weekend.
“Rajayogam’ is a dark comedy with a dose of intimacy and adventure. Usually, filmmakers focus on storylines that excite them emotionally, but my film is against all such elements. I didn’t go by the rule book, in fact, I included elements which excite larger audiences. A film should have all the ingredients that the majority of film-goers would approve of,” says director Ram.
Ram Ganapathi grew up watching films of Megastar Chiranjeevi as a young boy. “Filmmaking and telling an onscreen story is my childhood dream. It is a passion that not many could seriously pursue. And I happened to continue my studies and found a lucrative career in animation. Then, I migrated to Europe. I directed an animation film while working there. I put my nine years of savings into my first film ‘E Ee’ in Telugu. Amidst releasing it with big-budget films, it tanked at the box office. However, I didn’t lose hope,” he adds.
Can you please elaborate on what the film is about?
“Rajayogam’ is a story of a car mechanic, who is habituated to a luxurious lifestyle in the absence of his owner. One day, his destiny leads to an adventurous ride when he is sent to deliver his client’s car. Here, the protagonist conceals his identity and checks into a hotel disguised as the owner. He continues to enjoy the business suite for four days, tasting every luxury that he could not have dreamt of. He befriends an attractive woman. How both face implications and react to situations is the story in short. The film has a cast of 15 comedians handpicked from the small screen. I can promise edge-of-the-seat moments all through the runtime.“
Coming to lead pair Sai Ronak and Ankitha Saha, director Ram says, “Both are a bunch of exceptional talents. I’ve utilised Sai Ronak to his fullest potential. Ankitha Saha played the female lead. Her character in the film has grey shades and I am fortunate to have zeroed in for my film. Ajay Ghosh, Bhadram, Praveen, Giri, Shakalaka Shankar, Chitram Srinu among other character artistes played some key roles. It feels so encouraging to know the positive feedback of audiences when screening a special show to my friends and known people in the industry. I’m optimistic that ‘Rajayogam’ will make some noise in theatres.”
