Ramesh Aravind sets his eyes on digital world

Express News Service

If not for the second wave, Ramesh Aravind had plans to begin shooting for Akash Srivatsa’s Shivaji Surathkal sequel, which has now been postponed. “Everyone and everything seems static at this moment, all because of the pandemic lockdown,” says the actor-director.

“Thankfully, the script of Shivaji Surathkal series has been locked, and this will be the first assignment I will be taking up as and when the entertainment industry reopens,” he added. Ramesh is also ready to hit theatres with his latest directorial, 100. A film bankrolled by Ramesh Reddy, it features Rachita Ram in the female lead. 

The filmmaker, who is doing his bit to spread awareness on COVID-19-related issues and the importance of vaccinations, has simultaneously occupied himself by penning fresh storylines and has been in discussions for various projects.

And in the pipeline is an association with a fresh team. He reveals that this will be a thriller. “The producer is from Mumbai, and the team had approached me with an interesting subject. They sent me the story, which I felt was very modern and upbeat extremely current. This is another thriller, and like Shivaji Surathkal, this can also continue as a franchise. Right now, the team is getting ready with the bound script, post which more details can be shared,” he says.

The writer, actor, and director, who is also a television host, is producing a serial titled Sundari for the small screen. A filmmaker, who keeps himself updated with the latest trends, has also set foot into the digital world.

“I am working on a webseries for the Kannada audience. It has a lot of references to local history, and the entire episode will be shot in Karnataka. I have the table work ready, and am waiting to bring it on a full-fledged Kannada OTT platform,” he says.

Kannada webseries are yet to make it big in the digital space. Ramesh opines, “Currently, things are looking up in the digital world, and we get to watch different kinds of content and on different mediums. From what I understand, content irrespective of the language – will only run if it has a story to tell. It just needs to click amongst the audience. Word of mouth works best,” he says.

Ramesh points out that there is an audience for films, serials, and webseries. “Likewise, penning stories or the approach to these mediums is different from each other. In my observation, the viewers who watch webseries are smart and that demands a different kind of a subject,” he says.