Writer-director Anil Ravipudi is looking forward to delivering a hat-trick. He had impressed audiences with Pataas and Supreme and now the third — Raja The Great starring Ravi Teja and Mehreen Pirzada releases on the 18th of this month. Ravi Teja plays a visually challenged person, a new genre for contemporary heroes. Says Anil, “This is a new attempt and has been executed well, the audience will see the difference. We can try such genres as a thriller, horror or through a small budget film but I wanted to make it a huge film, by making the task big. I did my home work and made sure there is a logical explanation to whatever he does. The audience will clearly see the difference; there is a change in entertainment provided by a normal person and by someone who cannot see. Emotions like sympathy, fun, excitement all come out of it.”
Anil wanted to do this blind-action film ten years ago. He believes in taking risks and says a journey through tough path is always enjoyable. He wants to savour the excitement by watching the morning show amid the crowd. He says the stories as such are very limited, we can’t find anything new but one can treat the subject and characters differently. “When I was young I saw Yoddha, a Mohan Lal-film. He is visually challenged and saves a young girl. It made an impact on me, I loved the heroism. However, there is no similarity between the two stories and I believe if there is a disability, it becomes more challenging for the hero. You can see it in a kabbadi match in the movie.”
The director says he had Ravi Teja’s body language, energly levels and comic timing in mind while writing the script. He apparently narrated the story for half an hour and two scenes from the second half and that was enough for the star to be convinced. The actor took only two days to fall in synch and the process made Anil’s job easier . He heaps praises on Radhika Sarath Kumar who plays mother to the hero. He is born without sight and everything he grasps is by touch and measurement. There are fights and dances and everything that fans want from Ravi Teja.
Anil excitedly reels off one dialogue, which he thinks will be liked by the audience: “Na koduku prapanchanni chudakapovacchu kaani prapanchaniki na kodukante yenti ani teliyali”.
Anil shares that during a visit to Netralaya, he was amazed by a dance performance by the visually challenged boys. Ravi Teja does elicit sympathy but not in pitiable way. There is no ‘aiyyo papam’ feeling but definitely he elicits a level of excitement, says Anil.. For instance when he has to save his mother and there is no help around. How does he do it? He treats everything as a task and completes it in a heroic manner. Comedian Srinivas Reddy too has a good role and he is there throughout. Ravi Teja picks up Srinivas Reddy near a theatre and adopts him. The comedian takes a garland from an idol and puts it on Ravi Teja and says if people become human by adopting dogs and cats then isn’t this blind man a God who adopts a human being.”
There are many concept songs in the film. One is when a girl falls for him and he tells people chudandra ammayi padindhi. The director says Ravi Teja is like a warrior in the story and reels off one more dialogue, “He screams at the villain oka sari vocchi vinapadu. Usually we say oka sari vocchi kanapadu.”