Actor Ramesh Aravind says Pushpaka Vimana, which is slated to hit the screens on January 6, is a wholesome family entertainer, which deals with the relationship between a father and daughter.
In an exclusive interview with International Business Times, India, the multi-faceted Kannada star shared his views on Pushpaka Vimana's story, his role, Juhi Chawla and other cast and crew. Here are the excerpts from Ramesh Aravind's interview:
IBT: What is Pushpaka Vimana all about?
Ramesh Aravind: The movie revolves around the story of a mentally challenged man and deals with his emotional bonding with his daughter. It is about what happens when these two innocent hearts are separated. What kind of turmoil do they undergo after separation? Will they be reunited again or not? Answers to these questions form the crux of the story.
IBT: Is there any connection between Pushpaka Vimana and Singeetham Srinivas Rao's 1987 black comedy of the same name?
Ramesh Aravind: Apart from the title, there is no connection between the two movies. The story of our film is about the father and daughter, who are very fond of planes. They are poor, but aim to board a plane at least once in their lifetime. The film is all about whether their dream comes true or not.
IBT: Pushpaka Vimana is your 100th movie. How special is it for you?
Ramesh Aravind: Of course, the film is special as it is the 100th movie as well as for the interesting role I have in it. The role was really very challenging. As the character of the father is mentally challenged, he behaves probably like an eight-year-old boy. My original self is not featured anywhere and that is the best part of the film. It is fun playing the role especially because of the two girls, who have their good and bad times.
IBT: What challenges did you face while playing this role?
Ramesh Aravind: How to play the role was a tough one to crack. Playing the role of guy, who has a low IQ was a tough job. My lower chin is always shown slightly low and the lip is always hanging out. I had to maintain those things throughout the movie. All those physical things were there. Apart from that, the entire team was new to cinema and it was very special. Many new talents are coming out with this movie.
IBT: Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla is working with Sandalwood after a long time. What is her role in the movie?
Ramesh Aravind: It is very sweet of her to come and join us to be part of a song sequence, which is an important part of the story. The audience are treated with an interesting song while something happens in the background, which is an extremely crucial element of the story. We needed a big star to play this role and we approached Juhi, who happily accepted the offer and came for shooting. The song is already a superhit in Karnataka. We are thankful to Juhi for doing the cameo in our cinema after 25 years.
IBT: What would you like to say about Baby Yuvina Parthavi?
Ramesh Aravind: She is absolutely brilliant and the screenplay of whole movie depends on her performance. She has a great responsibility. Especially in the climax sequence, she had to emote a lot and she managed to carry it out really well. She had a taxing experience shooting for this movie as she had her exams. Against all odds, she has delivered a cool performance.
IBT: How was working with director S Ravindranath?
Ramesh Aravind: He is making his debut as a director with this movie. He has done some short films in the past, and has got a keen eye and lot of patience, which I like. Working with child artistes is a very difficult job, so he has done a brilliant job as director.
IBT: The music of Pushpaka Vimana has become superhit. What's your opinion on it?
Ramesh Aravind: What the music of Sankarabharanam did to classical music is what this movie will do to Kannada Bhavageethegalu. The whole film has got Indian earthy feel to it. It is full of Indian instrument and feel. The lyrics are also heart-touching.
IBT: What would you like to say about other production elements?
Ramesh Aravind: Bhuvan Gowda's camera work is a big asset of Pushpaka Vimana. Both the producer and technicians have done their best. They have not done anything as a part of their job, but with a lot of love. I think they want the film to win so badly that they tried hard to give their best.
IBT: What is the highlight of Pushpaka Vimana?
Ramesh Aravind: I am happy that this film will remain as one of the different attempts in my career. Most of the films that I have done are either boy and girl stories or action or comedy films. I am happy that some other kind of relationship has been highlighted beyond the normal formulas. So, I am hoping that the film connects well with the audience. Every daughter, who loves her father, and every father, who loves his daughter, will love this movie.
IBT: What is your take on the demonetisation drive's effect on Pushpaka Vimana?
Ramesh Aravind: I think we have already crossed it and the demonetisation effect ended in the last week of December 2016. My latest directorial venture Sundaranga Jaana starring Ganesh and Shanvi Srivastava was released in theatres on December 31 and it has been doing really good at the box office since Day 1. I am confident that demonetisation will not impact the collection of Pushpaka Vimana
IBT: What is your message to your fans?
Ramesh Aravind: Pushpaka Vimana is one of the classic films, where a lot of attention has been given to details of every department of filmmaking. So, it is a wholesome family entertainer and members of a family can watch it sitting together and celebrate its story telling.
