TV star turns filmy

He’s television’s latest heartthrob with his character Vedanth Vashishta being adored by viewers, especially the women who watch the show Gattimela on Zee Kannada. After garnering acclaim for his TV shows, actor Raksh is now going to make his presence felt in the Kannada film industry with his films Nargunda Bandaya and Red.

“My first movie Nargunda Bandaya is a period film set in a place called Nargunda in North Karnataka. The timeline of the film is from 1976 to 1984 and is based on a real-life incident. There has been a huge revolution in that place due to scarcity of water and I play the guy who started the revolt. This person was called Veerappa Basappa Kadlikoppa — he was shot by cops when he was just 25,” shares Raksh, who reveals that the movie will release in January.

For someone making his debut, why did he choose this ‘not so commercial’ role? “I was into theatre and was also an assistant director for a long time. But I was very particular about one thing — I didn’t want to do a typical love story. There are already a lot of guys doing it. I was very sure from childhood that any movie which I do should make an impact. Although I’m not sure how it will do commercially, I’m pretty sure that anybody who sees my first movie will find it hard to believe that it’s my debut,” says Raksh, who had to lose 30 kilos to play a drought-struck farmer.

The actor’s second film is titled Red and will release in April 2020. He’s not just the lead actor in it, but is also the creative director for the flick. As for Raksh’s tryst with TV, it happened when Putta Gowri Madhuve director Ramji spotted him in a play. While Raksh told him that he didn’t want to do TV and desired to do films, he admits that he faced a lot of ups and downs back then. “After I finished my law and Masters, I wanted something to keep me engaged. That’s when Ramji forced me and asked me if I had any idea what the serial was. Of course, I had no clue as I never watched TV, but then, I decided to do it and that made my journey into films easier,” muses the actor, who’s third project is with Simple Suni.

With his current TV show Gattimela receiving praise, he says, “My previous show had already hit the highest rating, especially in the rural areas. But with Gattimela, we had to fight Agnisakshi which was the biggest show — no show had been able to beat it. But gradually, we overtook the show and created history in the TV industry,” says the Vidya Niketan alumnus.

As for his personal life, Raksh got hitched to his girlfriend Anusha earlier this year, but admits that he doesn’t get to spend time with her and his family. “I don’t have a day off at all. I work 30 days a month. I wake up in the morning, go to the gym, shoot till 7 pm and then do my cinema meetings. My wife is pretty upset but she’s also happy that I’m happy. She knows me in and out as we’ve been with each other for 12 years now,” he smiles.