The biggest of stars and the best of performers need a worthy foil to create moments of acting magic on screen. It keeps them on their toes because an actor of Rangayana Raghu’s calibre can walk away with the briefest of scenes with his body language and dialogue delivery. He has filled a long standing void in Kannada cinema. He belongs to that rare breed who can terrify you as easily as they can make you chuckle. “Duniya” has made him indispensable. He’s a welcome relief from the expressionless hulks from
It’s a rare day off and I’m invited to his modest apartment. Photographs of his guru B.V. Karanth adorn the walls. This actor’s – much younger than most of the characters he plays on-screen – eyes sparkle when he talks about him. Our photographer clicks away as Raghu answers animatedly.
How did your acting journey start?
Prasanna’s play “Thadroopi” was the deciding factor. Till then I was a casual performer and mimicry artiste in college. My father and uncle were performers in our village. My father donned the role of ‘Devi’ in many a play. My father was keen that I become a lawyer but academics never attracted me. I was averse to the idea of studying for one whole year, writing an exam in three hours and then working in a field which had nothing to do with what we studied. I wanted to stay in our village and look after our farm. My village attracted me but my friends asked me to try out Rangayana. Chadrashekar Kambhar encouraged me. Rangayana was a revelation. If we practice the same sense of camaraderie and discipline in real life it will be Utopian. My whole outlook towards life changed thanks to B.V. Karanth. The six years of training was amazing. It disciplined our body and mind. We learnt everything from Yoga and martial arts to enunciation and music.
Did you also have a condescending attitude towards cinema?
Definitely. Karanth was not like that but we looked down upon mainstream cinema. I realise it was a pseudo attitude but we wanted to do something realistic. We were also exposed to books by Breckht and Bernard Shaw which gave us a feeling of superiority.
When does the disillusionment with theatre usually start?
In theatre art comes first but in cinema marketability is the foremost factor. Initially Karanth was keen we kept Rangayana afloat but later he wanted us to try other mediums be it films or street plays.
Your friends say it took a lot of coaxing for you to try films.
Hamsalekha saw me onstage and signed me for “Suggi”. He was very impressed with my attitude but the film never got released. I did 13 films but got no recognition. I visited various offices but no one bothered about my training. You can’t blame them but producers only recognise success. I was fed up. I was staying with Arun Sagar who’s helped me a lot and also Mandya Ramesh. Arun used to pester the producers telling them about my stage exploits and performances abroad. M.S. Ramesh launched “Dum”.Ramesh had a bad experience with an actor from theatre and didn’t want another bitter experience. But he happened to watch me in the serial “Swathi Muthu” and changed his mind. I was at my wit’s end and ready to return but it was Arun’s perseverance that I owe everything to. Even after the success of “Dum” people kept asking if I was from a neighbouring State. But it kindled an interest in the industry.
In theatre even if you are an actor you have to do all the odd jobs while in cinema you just have to perform and leave. Was that strange?
Right. Initially I would try to help out on the sets but a spot boy put me in my place. He sternly told me I should stick to my job of acting or I would deprive him of his wages. Now I just wait for my shot.
Today you’ve become as indispensable. (laughs)That took some time. It happened gradually with “Ranga SSLC” and “Sriram” in which I played a Balakrishna type of character. It was during the making of “Mani” that I met Suri. I liked the working pattern of Yograj and Suri. It’s close to theatre. ‘Duniya’ changed everything. When I was shooting in Anekal I met people who don’t speak Kannada but have watched it several times.
I think you were lucky to do “Cyanide” before all this.
You are right. I was not recognised then. I would do all kinds of characters and get a couple of pats on the back. In “Cyanide” my character was much internalised. I played a character torn between wife, country and love for mother tongue. I had to show the internal torment purely with facial expressions. Till then I was playing caricature like roles. People expected me to be manic on screen.
In the last couple of your films I’ve noticed that you’ve improvised even during dubbing adding smart one-liners.
(Laughs) There’s no end to improvisation. It’s just a spur of the moment thing. Even after I’ve finished everything I wish I could change some things.
Top stars are averse to sharing screen space with character actors who constantly walk away with the applause.
Thankfully I’ve never encountered this. Everyone from Vishnuvardhan, Shivraj Kumar to Sudeep has been very encouraging. Ganesh and Vijay egg me on. In fact, Vishnu and Shivanna urge producers to sign me instead of
So what stage have you reached now?
I really don’t know. I’m getting stagnated and am in search of something new. That has started with “Inthi Ninna Preethiya”. Suri is responsible.
I was reluctant about audience acceptance but Suri gave me the confidence. I’m still a child where acting is concerned. Vajramuni’s popularity rivaled that of top heroes. Balakrishna is one actor I adore. His characters were funny, yet sinister.
Karanth once told us not to observe others during a funeral but react to the situation ourselves. I have won top awards but am in the process of learning.
Even the best of singers have to practice in the morning. Success happens. We cannot plan it. We just have to keep honing our skills.
