Kiccha Sudeep’s recent release Vikrant Rona is earning applause from all across the country not just for its visual appeal but also for the performances and larger than life sets. The actor talked about his character and the film ahead of the release. Excerpts:
The character you play in the film looks intense and mysterious. What was the most challenging part of playing it in front of the camera?
Anything becomes challenging when we are not prepared. But in the case of Vikrant Rona, each one of us was well prepared and gave our top effort.
How was your working relationship with director Anup Bhandari on the set and how involved were you in the whole direction process? Did you often share your ideas and suggestions with him?
Doing a film with Anup was my choice. So, after I made a choice, interfering in his work is not right. Having said that, me and Anup sat a lot for 1.5 years before the film’s production began. That was the time to have discussions and share my opinions. Therefore, once the film got on the floor, he worked as a director and I worked as an actor, without interfering in each other’s job.
In your statement, you mentioned that ‘Vikrant Rona’ is not just about its visual appeal or scale. I would like to know exactly what makes this film special for you?
The content, standard, release date, and genre of the film. My character makes it all the more special for me.
There were plans to shoot the film in real locations before you joined the team. Can you explain why you built sets for the same and how that changed the experience?
We would not have got the right scale…
In the real jungle, there would not have been enough light to shoot the film at night. Moreover, the real jungle belongs to insects, animals and creepers. Shooting amid all that would have just created unnecessary problems.
Can you describe your creative satisfaction at the end of a project, Vikrant Rona, for example?
Creative satisfaction is extremely high because the idea that we had in our minds about this film was successfully turned into reality. Over 2 years of planning went into the shoot. I believe this speaks a lot about the preparation process. And seeing all our efforts paying off and all our visions taking physical form was exciting as well as creatively satisfying.