PremiumRishi on Ramana Avatara: I wanted to do another clean entertainer like Operation Alamelamma
Last Updated: 10.44 PM, Apr 27, 2024
Operation Alemalamma and Kavaludaari fame Rishi is counting down to his first release in a few years. Rishi’s most recent film as a leading man, Nodi Swamy Ivanu Irode Heege was a direct-to-OTT release on Zee5, while 2019’s Sarvajanikarige Suvarnavakaasha was the last film he had in theatres. Ramana Avatara releases on May 10 and the team launched its trailer earlier today. Speaking at the trailer launch, Rishi said that the success of Operation Alamelamma was the major reason for him to take up Ramana Avatara.
“The feedback I got for Operation Alamelamma was that audiences wanted another entertainer like it, with the same kind of humour. Operation Alamelamma was a piece of magic that could not be repeated, because it is not an easy genre, even though it looks like a simple comedy. Also, when doing comedy, I personally do not like propagating double-meaning jokes or humour targeting a particular individual. Clean humour is what I was looking for and that’s when I met the Pampapathi brothers. I loved their sense of humour, which did not follow set patterns that you usually see in cinema. And then we began our discussions to collaborate,” explains Rishi, about his film, which is releasing in theatres on May 10.
The story that Vikas had was based on an idea from the Ramayana, which appealed to Rishi, as the Ramayana is generally seen as a mythological story that played out thousands of years ago. “Presenting the values of the Ramayana through a modern-day lens, and the intention of taking this subtle message to audiences excited me,” adds the actor. Having said this, Rishi adds that Ramana Avatara is a light-hearted entertainer. “Don’t come to theatres with massive expectations. Instead, approach it with an open mindset for a fun entertainer and then, you will enjoy it,” he says.
As excited as Rishi is about seeing the film finally in theatres, he acknowledges that Kannada cinema is currently going through a dark phase. “Theatre walk-ins are on the decline. That doesn’t mean that people have stopped or reduced watching Kannada cinema; they are just not watching it in theatres. My request, therefore, is that if you’ve decided to watch a Kannada film, whether it is Ramana Avatara or any other, please do so at the nearest cinema hall. Often, we hear people say that they will watch a film when it comes on OTT or on TV, but if you do that, the industry will not be able to support a new story-teller,” says Rishi.
He elaborates, “It is only because Operation Alamelamma was a theatrical success that we were able to bring a new director to the industry in the form of Vikas Pampapathi. That would not have been the case if there was no theatre success story. Please watch films in theatres to encourage and support story-tellers.”
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