“I have learnt a lot from my mistakes,” says Raghava Lawrence

Raghava Lawrence’s latest bilingual film, Kanchana is gearing for its big release on July 15. It’s touted to be a mass entertainer with ample dose of horror and comedy. Raghava Lawrence has also acted in the film apart from directing it. Lakshmi Rai and Kovai Sarala play important roles. Bellamkonda Suresh is producing the Telugu version and Rama Narayana Rao has produced the Tamil version. The film is going to release in 110 theatres with 87 prints in Nizam alone and throughout AP, it’s going to release in 210 centres.

Bellamkonda Suresh addressed the media earlier today and said that he’s quite confident about the film’s success. “This is the first time, as far as I know, that a bilingual film is releasing in Telugu film and then, a week later, in Tamil. Ever since we started promoting the film, I am happy that exhibitors and distributors have shown keen interest on the film. A week before the film’s release, the film has already made a table profit. I sincerely wish that the film would be as successful as my first film Sambayya and hope that Raghava Lawrence scores a bigger hit than all his previous films.”

Later, Raghava Lawrence interacted with the media and he answered several questions. Here are some excerpts from the interview:

The film has been named as Muni-2/Kanchana. What’s the secret behind the title? Who’s playing the title role and is it a sequel of Muni?

Kanchana is a special film for me because it’s my 5th film as a director and I consider 5 as my lucky number. The character that I play is an extension of Muni. He’s still afraid of going out of his house after 6 PM. But the comparison ends there. There are three characters in the film. You’ll have to watch the film to know more about the roles I play. All I can say is it’s going to be a thorough entertainer with a good dose of horror and comedy.

Everyone’s talking about you donning a lady’s role in the film. Was it difficult to do that role? And how challenging was it?

I have always tried to do something different in my films. It’s become a necessity because it’s becoming harder and harder to impress the audience. If you don’t do something new, it’s very tough to catch their attention. The lady’s character comes in the second half of the film. It was very challenging because it took me a lot of time to understand how women react to certain situations. Their anger and other emotions are so different. There’s a song, which comes in the film’s climax, which was emotionally challenging. I had to practice a lot for it.

Why did you take up this role in the first place? Was it a desperate attempt to improve your acting skills?

I wouldn’t call it as a desperate attempt. Earlier, Anushka was supposed to do the role; however, the plan didn’t work out as there were some changes in the script. So, I had to step in. When I told that I am playing this lady’s role, Rama Narayana (producer) was shocked. Later, when I narrated the entire story, he encouraged me to do the role. I think I have done reasonably well as a director and a choreographer and I thought it was high time I concentrated on my acting as well. I want to do something new all the time.

Have you drawn inspiration from any other character or film for Kanchana?

No. Neither the film nor the lady’s role I have donned is inspired from anything. I would say, the film is going to set an example for more inspirations in future.

How did your family members react when they saw the trailers of the film?

They couldn’t recognize me at first! I can imagine how the audience would have reacted. (Chuckles)

You have directed four films so far. Have you evolved as a director with this film?

When I was directing Muni, I didn’t realize the mistakes I was making. Now, when I think about that film, I can pinpoint where I had gone wrong. I think I have learnt a lot from my mistakes. If Muni showcased 25% of my talent, I would say, Kanchana is going to showcase 200% of my talent.

You seem to be very confident about the film. Are you expecting any awards as well?

One of the actors in the film is portraying a very powerful character. I am confident that he’ll bag lot of accolades and awards for his role. Kanchana, the film, is a good message oriented film which has a universal appeal. I would go a step further and say that you’ll enjoy watching the film as much as you did while watching Chandramukhi and Arundhati.

What are your future projects?

I have finished writing the script of Muni-3. Currently, I am directing Prabhas, Anushka, Deeksha Seth starrer Rebel. It’s another stylish action entertainer with sentiment. I am confident that the film will do wonderfully well at box office.

What’s your ambition in life?

I wanted to build a temple for Sri Raghavendra Swamy and an Orphanage for children. I have achieved both the goals. Currently, I take care of 100 orphans and it’s quite endearing to interact with them. I have no other ambition in life. Whatever I am today is because of Sri Raghavendra Swamy and I’ll be grateful to him for eternity.