Artiste hopes to raise Rs 10 lakh for kids with his new look

UDUPI: The district's renowned artiste Ravi Katapady, 40, who donned the role of a fantasy character Dark One Elite from the God of War game during Krishna Janmashtami and Vitla Pindi celebrations last year, is expected to present a unique character this year too. Ravi will reveal his character on Friday as the town celebrates Shri Krishna Janmashtami.
Ravi is confident of raising about Rs 10 lakh that will be used for the medical expenses of children suffering from cancer, kidney and heart related ailments.
For the past seven years, Ravi has been donning various characters and the amount collected goes in helping needy children. So far, he has collected about Rs 89.75 lakh and helped 66 children. "I had almost finalised the names of three children, but many more have approached us seeking help. We have a list of about nine children, but depending on the collection, we will include more children," he said.
On the character, he said, "I have been working on this for the past several months and eight artists from Hyderabad, Madikeri, Udupi Mangaluru and Bengaluru are working on my look that will be ready by Thursday night. Top people from the industry are working on the project.
Last year, he had distributed Rs 7.17 lakh that he collected to eight needy children for their medical expenses. His pictures had gone viral. He turned into a celebrity after he was invited as a guest in a game show hosted by Amitabh Bachchan.