Exclusive! Takkar gave me the opportunity to be a part of a good subject and team: Ranjani Raghavan

Ranjani Raghavan is no stranger to Kannada audiences, having regaled them with her performance on Puttagowri Maduve (the remake of the Hindi serial Balika Vadhu) and now, with Kannadathi. The big screen has been beckoning her every now and then and the actress has been dabbling with the medium, be it Rajahamsa, or more recently, Kshamisi Nimma Khatheyalli Hanavilla. This week, she is looking forward to the release of her first full-fledged commercial film, Takkar, in which she is paired with Manoj.

“I have been in showbiz for about eight years, doing theatre, TV, movies and now, even web series. It’s been an exciting journey, where every day is a new learning for me. My TV stints have been immensely satisfying and I am hoping for the same with cinema too. When I took up Takkar, it was my second project and was supposed to release in March 2020, but then the pandemic struck and derailed those plans. When I was approached to play Manoj’s pair in the film, I found the subject and the team quite interesting. Raghu Shastry had made Run Anthony Run earlier, while producer Nagesh Kokilu had backed Balu Nagendra’s Huliraya. And even though Manoj is a relative newbie as a hero, he seemed quite earnest and intent to make a mark in Kannada cinema,” says Ranjani.

The film is about cybercrime, and going by the trailer follows a chain of events that ends in the suicides of woman trapped by the villain. While it feels similar to Ramesh Aravind’s 100, which released last year and was the remake of the Tamil film Thiruttu Payale 2, Ranjani says that the similarity ends with the cybercrime backdrop. “In the film, I play a medical student called Punya, who has a certain image about the hero in her mind. But then certain events occur, which could potentially change that. Whether our bond remains unshaken because of this is a part of the narrative,” explains the actress.

Since Takkar is a launchpad for Manoj, Ranjani is conscious that her screen presence maybe limited, but the actress is hopeful that her character strikes a chord with audiences. “I am still making baby steps in cinema and can’t be too choosy about scripts. Yet at the same time, I have been consciously trying to be a part of projects helmed by good teams that will not only get completed without any hitch, but will also get a proper release and reach people. Takkar is one such project. Raghu has a good subject and knows how to handle his actors and get the best out of them. For instance, even though Manoj is Darshan’s nephew and has proper commercial hero looks, Raghu has not gone overboard with punchlines or unnecessary build up for him, because audiences may not like that for a newcomer,” she reasons.

Earlier this week, Ranjani also debuted in the OTT space, when her first Kannada web series, Hakuna Matata dropped on a new streaming platform. “I liked the title and the fact that I was getting to play an investigative officer. My character, Roopa, is very dedicated to her work and has a way of handling her investigation, including in how she deals with her confidential informants, etc. The role is quite steeped in reality and because she is part of a special investigation team, I get to rock some kickass outfits,” says Ranjani, adding, “The biggest clincher, though, for me was that I got to work with Vijay Raghavendra sir on this project. The platform has released five episodes so far, which sets up the crime and the investigation. Four more will be revealed in a week or two.”

Up next, Ranjani has a few releases lined up that she is quite excited about. “There’s the Kannada-Telugu bilingual Sathyam opposite Santhosh Balaraj, as well as a film with Malashree ma’am, which has a female-oriented script. I am also a part of a couple of anthologies, one of which is a project by the Filmmakers United Club, in which my segment is with Rishi, while the other is yet to be announced officially,” she signs off.