“If Shah Rukh,Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan are having their own production houses, I decided to launch my own independent production house”: Ravi Sudha Chowdhary

By Jyothi Venkatesh

From being a manager in the Pharma industry, Ravi Sudha Chowdhary has indeed come a long way not only as an actor but also as a producer and is now eagerly awaiting the release of his film Sitapur The City of Gangsters on MXPlayer

What attracted you to take up acting which is a risky profession?

I was having a very successful career in Pharma Industry as a manager,but there was something missing. I am of an artistic nature of person and hence took a strong decision and opted for my dreams to pursue my passion, because there is one life and in this one life I want to live my each and every dream

Name the filmmakers who are in your wish list as an actor!

Nowadays, there are many actors who are having their own home production. If actors like Shah Rukh,Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Hrithik Roshan are having their own production houses, I decided why I also should not try my hand at producing films and I am glad I launched my own independent production house.

In what way is the film Sitapur The City of Gangsters a saga of politics, conspiracy and gangwar?

Because the way we have designed the film Sitapur The City of Gangsters definitely lrrpd the pulse of the audience and it is being filmed in a totally balanced way,  the audience will definitely love this. In this film. Whether emotion, drama,action, romance or for that matter politics, you name it and every shade the audience are going to emjoy in this film. And mind you, I am not yelling this just because I am the producer of this film but I really mean it from the bottom of my heart.

You play the main role of Dev Singh Rana. Is it a dream role which any actor would have dreamed to bag?

Yes, of course, because this character accorded me full opportunity to perform three important shades- a simple man, a romantic guy and also a dominant personality as well.

How did you approach your character of Dev Singh Rana?

Dev Singh Rana is a versatile character to play, so I adopted that particular body language, arrogance, attitude and passion and lived the way Dev Singh Rana would have lived..

How did you decide to produce the film Sitapur The City of Gangsters?

I loved this concept a lot so I decided to make movie.

Is Sitapur a fictitious place in U.P or does it also play a vital character in the delineation of the story?

Many years ago Sitapur was like that and as Sitapur, many of the cities of Uttar Pradesh also were like that ,We made sure that we have represented this aspect in our film Sitapur The City of Gangsters. Sitapur The City of Gangsters is a saga of deceit, revenge, lust and depravity.

What was the response to the unveiling of the teser of your film in social media?

Audience loved our film’s teaser and the kind of response we are getting is very positive and now we are very hopeful that our film will leave a remarkable impact in the minds of the  audiences.

With a political backdrop based on violence, how do you justify the series of killings as part of revenge in your film?

In our day to day life, like many certain and uncertain things happen in the same way, in Dev Singh Rana’s life some unexpected things occur and then he is being involved in some criminal activities and a time comes when his entire life turns around 360 degrees in a very different and in a very wrong way.

As a producer, how have you woven romance, drama and action in your film?

Besides being a producer, I am also an actor and  am very serious about my acting performance and when I am in front of the camera only that particular character I keep in my mind.

How and when did you launch the banner of Rudransh Entertainment?

It has been 4 years now. When I decided to enter the Bollywood industry I started a platform to put myself as an actor. I formed my own home production Rudransh Entertainment and gave an opportunity to myself as an actor in my very first film Kashi to Kashmir. I showed my acting skills to the world and then after that, many opportunities came to me as an actor. That was a part of my strategy. I established my own banner as an actor. But now I am giving opportunities to many other deserving artists as well.

Tell me something about Mobeen Warsi who has directed the film?

Mobeen is good friend of mine and definitely a hard working guy, who has the sense to represent the screenplay and the entire scenario and the soul of the film. He has put in a lot of effort to represent this film in a beautiful and productive way. He is having a good observation and direction skill and  having a great career ahead.

Why did you chose to hand over the direction of your film as a producer- actor to Mobeen instead of directing the film yourself?

Mobeen deserved to direct the film like this and hence I handed over the film to him to direct and definitely he proved to be a good choice for direction.

How did you select the actors for their parts in your film?

We cast many experienced artists like Anil Rastogi, Nawal Shukla, Mirza Azhar, Jabbar Akram and promising actors like Aparna Mallick, who has played the main lead actress in this film All the artistes including the main lead villain Gaurav Kumar and Aachal Pandey, Shalu Singh, Utkarsh Bajpai, Salauddin etc have performed really well.

What roles have Shiva Shukla and Mohammad Salauddin played in the making of your film?

Both of them are truly hardworking and dedicated type of actors and they helped me lot in the making of the film part of my team.

Is it true that you have also written the story , screenplay as well as the dialogues of your film Sitapur The City of Gangsters with Mobin Warsi?

Yes.The project needed teamwork and Mobeen and I have put in a lot of efforts to justify the story,screenplay and dialogues of the film Sitapur The City of Gangsters.

Who have composed the music for the film?

Ali and Faisal are the music directors of my film.

In what way is the music conducive to the film in spite of it being a violent film?

Songs are like the delicious flavour for any movie which connects the audience’s emotions and interest areas.
In how many days was the film shot and where?This movie was shot in different areas like Sitapur, Kanpur, Lucknow and Mirzapur in 35 days.

What is the total budget of your film and which is the OTT platform that you wish to showcase your film and when?

We have invested  approximately 1 crore rupee to shoot this movie and it is being released on MX Player very soon.

Which are your forthcoming projects?

There are many movies about to come like Kashi to Kashmir, which is based on why Kashmiri pandits had to flee in 1990, Shashank which is based on a superstar’s journey, after facing negative shades of Bollywood etc. Apart from these films, I am also planning another movie very soon by the end of this year as my own production. I also have as an actor two more projects that are coming up like Rasookh and Luckywood.