Rakshit Atluri rose to the limelight with his performance in the 2020 film Palasa 1978. However, the actor hasn’t headlined too many films since then. With his film Operation Raavan releasing in theatres this week, the actor addresses the reasons why he couldn’t capitalise on his Palasa 1978 success. Explaining it, he says, “The pandemic took away two years. But it was mostly due to my film Narakasura, which required me to maintain the look of my character. Therefore, I couldn’t sign too many other films. If I had accepted all the offers I received in these two years, it would have been a different story."
The Palasa 1978 actor describes Operation Raavan as a rare film that visually captures the inner workings of a psychopath. “We have attempted to show how the transformation of a regular person into a psychopath happens. I don’t recall any film trying to capture something like this, at least in Telugu cinema.”
The actor elaborates on how Operation Raavan is different from other psychological thrillers. “Usually, a film of this genre establishes a psychopathic character at the outset, focusing on their heinous crimes. Meanwhile, our film tells a story that’s in line with what's happening in society. We have focused equally on how a media house works and police conduct their procedures, and have woven a story where these elements are linked with a psychopath character.”
At the same time, Rakshit reassures that Operation Raavan is not heavy on bloodshed or killings. “Our aim was to make a thriller that connects with urban youth,” he adds.
Rakshit acknowledges the contribution of the technical department towards making Operation Raavan stand apart from the rest. Talking about the sound design of the film, the actor notes, “Sound plays a key role in such films, often elevating the thrill quotient. We created a proper Atmos sound for a 360-degree impact when you watch it in a theatre.” The actor also recalls how, while playing on the themes of evil, the technical team hand-painted various masks for the villain’s character to highlight their animal instinct.
The trailer for Operation Raavan caught attention for its underlying themes of mythology, besides its unique visual elements. Explaining the use of mythology in the psychological thriller, Rakshit states, “If we look at the Ramayana, even Ravana was a huge devotee of Lord Shiva. Even a negative person can be a huge devotee, and our film plays on this element as well,” while adding that there is no aspect of social messaging in the film.
The actor recalls how, more than his regular ‘acting’ scenes, the true challenge of doing a film such as Operation Raavan lies in its action sequences. Recalling how he performed all of his stunts on his own, Rakshit states, “We began the shoot schedule with an extensive action sequence where I had to jump from a bike to a container. I picked up a ligament injury while shooting this scene and many injuries later on. Yet, it was a very enjoyable experience on the whole. We literally gave our blood and sweat for the action scenes, and they have come out satisfyingly well.”
Operation Raavan marks the directorial debut of Rakshit’s father, Venkata Satya. Rakshit admits to being surprised by his father’s command over his craft. “When a director is not in control of his material, the actors are very quick to gauge that. It’s not very easy for a new director to satisfy such veteran actors on the shoot, but he did that.”
While Rakshit received a lot of praise for his work in Palasa 1978, the rustic social drama also pushed him closer towards the stereotype of rural characters. The actor admits to feeling wary of being typecast, as he reflects, “After Palasa 1978, everyone offered me serious roles or mostly found me suitable for rural backdrop characters. With Operation Raavan, I definitely intend to break that pattern, given that mine is an urban character.”
Rakshit's upcoming projects also include Sasivadane, where he shares screenspace with Komalee Prasad. He describes his character in that film as a ‘responsible young boy in love, definitely someone not too serious.” The actor also shares that he now wants to consciously explore other genres, expressing a particular desire to do a bona fide comedy film. “That’s why I am putting my funniest foot forward at promotional events as well,” quips the actor as he signs off.
