“Operation Raavan,” directed by Venkata Satya, is making waves as a brand new suspense thriller. The film stars Rakshit Atluri and Radhika Sarathkumar in the lead role and is produced by Dhyan Atluri, marking a contemporary take on suspense in both Telugu and Tamil languages. Co-starring Sangeerthana Vipin, “Operation Raavan” is set for a grand theatrical release worldwide on the 26th of this month. Director Venkata Satya shared insights about the film in a recent interview:
“Mythology suggests that our thoughts themselves can be our enemies, and achieving salvation lies in understanding them. Practices like yoga and meditation aim to control our thoughts. In movies, villains typically engage in wrongful acts like land grabbing and drug trafficking, driven by their thoughts. I wanted to explore these underlying ideas through ‘Operation Raavan.'””Drawing inspiration from the epic Ramayana, which is itself a thriller, our film incorporates references to characters like Garudman, Ravana, and Guhu. In ‘Operation Raavan,’ Ravana’s disguise involves a mask, hence the title. We delve into the psychological aspects of characters, exploring why certain individuals exhibit extreme behaviors in relationships.”
Directors like SS Rajamouli took bold steps with high-budget films like Baahubali and RRR, elevating Telugu cinema to international level and even winning Oscars. While some films are made with hundreds of crores, we managed to craft “Operation Raavan” with a modest budget of four to five crore rupees, ensuring high technical standards across all aspects.
The fact that directing my son Rakshit doesn’t greatly affect me. He was a bit apprehensive during the fight scenes, and I worried about potential injuries. During action sequences involving ropes, it’s crucial to ensure proper support. The fight master reassured me to step aside and let them handle it. Rakshit delivered a commendable performance. Recently, we released a single-shot poem by Karuna Sri from our movie, which Rakshit performed admirably. NTR’s performances in mythological roles are remembered to this day for their effectiveness on screen. Saravana Vasudevan composed excellent music for our film.
Radhika played a pivotal role in our film, and approaching her with the story was challenging. However, once on set, she followed my directions. She adjusted her hand movements promptly according to my instructions. Radhika considers herself a director’s actress and values the director’s satisfaction with the shot. Among all her films, she believes “Operation Raavan” will be the most memorable. Her character spans three different time frames, with Charan Raj’s role also being crucial to the storyline.
In today’s world, we witness varied reactions from both boys and girls when faced with challenges. For instance, if a boy professes his love to a girl and she doesn’t reciprocate, he might be labeled as “psycho”. Similarly, if a girl interacts with another boy after accepting someone’s love, she might face similar judgment. In our movie, we delve into the reasons behind such extreme behaviors and look forward to seeing how our concept resonates with the audience on screen. Success in the film industry requires both talent and divine intervention. Given the crowded release schedule on August 2nd, we have opted to move our release date to the 26th of this month.
Running a business is predictable; if the tea is brewed well, the customer will likely enjoy it. However, cinema is an art form where a painting admired by one might appear unimpressive to another. In business, there are guides and supporters, but such a safety net is absent in the film industry. Support in this industry often comes with strings attached, leading to complexities even after completing the film.
We’ve announced a unique initiative: giving a silver coin to each of the thousand audience members who correctly identify the “psycho” character within an hour of our movie’s start.
I completed “Operation Raavan” within the planned budget and schedule, aiming for completion within 30 to 40 days. Insights gleaned from books proved invaluable in my directorial journey, driven by a deep passion for the film industry. Directors like KV Reddy, Aadurthi Subbarao, Rajamouli, and Hollywood’s Steven Spielberg inspire me greatly. Post-“Operation Raavan,” I’ll plan my next project, alongside continuing with projects like “Palasa 2”. Our production aims to release one film annually.
