Actor Kanna Ravi: Veduvan won’t be just entertaining but also thought provoking

Actor Kanna Ravi will be headlining ZEE5 Tamil series Veduvan which is set to stream on October 10

Kanna Ravi in Veduvan

Actor Kanna Ravi is not a face that you might have seen lot often, but more so in prominent characters. A politician in Mandela, an empathetic Madhan in Lover, or even crucial link in LCU as Ajas Ahmed, Kanna Ravi has played some handful significant supporting roles. Now, he is all set to headline the upcoming Tamil web series Veduvan. Scheduled to release on ZEE5 on October 10 Kanna Ravi speaks about the project.

“I never like to repeat my roles. But after Kaithi, I have played an undercover cop in Veduvan. My character Ajas Ahmed died in that film, but what if someone had explored more of his life, his work and undercover duty, is what Veduvan partly touches. I am confident on Veduvan and we have put our blood and sweat into it. We shot in 18 days and consists of 7 episodes. Hope it resonates with audience,” Kanna Ravi says.

Kanna Ravi interview for Veduvan:

Veduvan is a crime thriller which revolves around a struggling actor whose next role is that of an encounter specialist. To practise for the role, the actor researches. Kanna Ravi who plays this, says, “I have not liked much films which is on cinema, barring a few like Velli Thirai. But with Veduvan, even if you keep aside the cinema portion, there is much content to chew on in the story.”

But what about the plethora of crime thrillers that get released every week, when some work and others don’t. The actor opines, “Crime thrillers always sell. It is about the investigation and how the crime takes place, is what that keeps the audience hooked. In Veduvan too, there is something in every episode, which makes it binge worthy.”

Also read: Veduvan trailer out: Kanna Ravi's ZEE5 crime series follows the secret life of encounter specialist

Doing a long format series is not something new for Kanna Ravi. In fact, one of his earlier works Livin is also one of the few web series in Tamil to have come out. Recalling it, Kanna Ravi says, “I am still searching one such story, and I have never gotten such a script after that. It is one of a kind. I badly want to do romance, and even in Veduvan, I have a beautiful romantic portion that has come out very well.”

Kanna Ravi recalls taking up Livin during his early career days because he saw it as practise. “To become an actor, you need one. So, I used short films and just as when I got Livin offer, I did not know anything about series. Prabhuram (director of Livin) asked me if I had watched any series and only then, I realised there is something called long-format series. He had said about how in the West, the series were very popular and would eventually make it to television. That is how it started and I started to watch some. Series have the power to give author-backed roles.”

‘You cannot launch a star’

Coming from short film background, Kanna Ravi says OTT helps budding talent to improvise. “As someone who do not come from a cinema background and no PR to back, OTT space is a big boon. Even before this, when there were only films, television paved way for some talent to shine. When I started out, drama and theatre were new platforms. There were also short films which I watched ever since my school time. It aspired me further to act and I did over 100 short films.”

Kanna Ravi aspires to contribute much to cinema, in form of an actor and come to a space where he can hold a story enough to headline it and make audience come to watch it. “I am yet to come to that place, to be honest, but I am very keen on working towards it. You may ask why lead, because to be a protagonist of a story, gives you the opportunity to hold a film for two hours and so and that is how audience get to like you.”

After doing supporting roles in titles like Inspector Rishi, Lover, and more, Kanna Ravi says, “No one will give it us on a plate. We need to strive hard to attain the lead role. I trust my instincts when I take choices.”

So, does he see OTT space a new platform where stars can be made? “You cannot launch a star, they are to be formed. Only when many are willing to celebrate a person, watch their films, a star is formed. Audiences are smart now, and they can easily recognise hard work and talent. So, when that’s the case, when you can show your talent and people see it, anyone can become a star,” he replies.

Kanna Ravi’s next is Khaki Squad. Scheduled to start in December, the actor will be playing a cop. “It will be a crime thriller and it’s always special to play a uniformed role.” But before we let him go, when asked what is one thing that he has to say about Veduvan, Kanna Ravi promises, “We won’t spoil your time. It won’t be just entertaining but also thought provoking.”

FAQs

Q. What to watch on OTT this week?

A. Film Madharaasi, series The Game are out on OTT this week.

Q. When is Lokah releasing on OTT?

A. Producer of Lokah, Dulquer Salmaan, has not yet announced the OTT release date yet.

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