Ravindra Vijay on his Kannada debut and essaying a complex character in Theertharoopa Thandeavarige

Many people, including actors, directors, and film critics, have one question to ask Ravindra Vijay after the success of his recent Kannada film Theertharoopa Thandeavarige. Despite being fluent in the language and having worked in the film industry for 10 years, why did it take him so long to feature in a Kannada movie?

His answer is one without any frills. He did not get a good role till Theertharoopa Thandeavarige. A coffee and a walk in the park with the film director Ramenahalli Jagannatha turned into a dream role.

“I felt a sense of loss for not being part of a Kannada project after making my cinema debut in 2016,” Ravindra says from Kempegowda International Airport en route to Hyderabad. “I am so happy it happened with Theertharoopa Thandeavarige, because the character has depth.”

From a first-generation doctor in the family to a first-generation actor, Ravindra’s career has taken an interesting shift. A Bengaluru boy, he practised medicine for a year before shifting to theatre, and then eventually cinema. “The end goal was theatre and not cinema, but somewhere along the way, cinema happened, and I decided to give it a shot.”

Ravindra’s character, Professor Shivshankar, in Theertharoopa Thandeavarige, a father who disappears after a traumatic incident, is morally complex.

He is not an ideal father, Ravindra says. “He is flawed, and afraid of society. I feel that if the character cried in the film, which he doesn’t until the end, grief would have decreased. This struck me as very interesting. I had to make sure I balanced the emotion on screen, without overdoing or underplaying.”

Ravindra credits the plot and the word of mouth for the film’s successful theatrical run. “This was a fresh concept. People seem to identify with either the father, the mother, the protagonist, or the sister. The pain and the redemption arc connected with the audience.”

Ravindra’s career started with a small part in the Tamil film Irudhi Suttru, followed by a few roles in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. Landing the role of Muthu Pandian in season 2 of The Family Man 2 opened the Hindi film industry for Ravindra with roles in Sam Bahadur and Jawan. “After The Family Man, I got offered many cop roles, which I eventually started turning down.”

Ravindra Vijay in Tamil film Raghu Thatha.
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With projects such as Keeda Cola, Mangalavaaram, and Ghaati in Telugu and Raghu Thathaand Kaantha in Tamil, Ravindra got to play morally complex characters across languages.

Ravindra however, finds labels such as character artist’ restrictive. Labels would pigeonhole me. I am not particularly seeking out morally complex roles, but I find all interesting characters have shades of grey. Discovering the nuances and gradually layering a character makes the journey with any project worthwhile.”

Ravindra’s fluency in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and English makes him a strong option in many projects, especially with the current pan-India boom. “I don’t have to dub for any language because I can speak almost all South Indian languages with fluency. I don’t find the idea of pan-India projects new. It is an evolving space and exciting to be a part of the fraternity now.”

Ravindra does not see a difference in terms of theatre, films or web series. “When I am performing on stage, the audience is seated 10 feet away from me. Voice modulation for theatre and cinema, is the major difference. Theatre is ephemeral, which is why it’s precious and unique. Cinema is for eternity.”

Ravindra Vijay as Muthu Pandian in The Family Man.
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Long-format storytelling, Ravindra says, is best suited for web series. “I travel with the character. It gives me an opportunity to build the character as I go.”

After Theertharoopa Thandeavarige, he says he is open to doing more films in Kannada. “I am doing the Tamil film Mandaadi, which is set in coastal Tamil Nadu, with the plot revolving around boat racing.”

Going forward, Ravindra aspires to work with interesting filmmakers, directors, cinematographers and scripts. “I don’t know what life has in store for me. “I just want to have fun.”