Rakshit Shetty celebrates his birthday with family

The second teaser of Rakshit Shetty’s action film ‘Avane Srimannarayana’ is set for release today.

Actor-director Rakshit Shetty has come a long way from his debut film, ‘Nam Areal Ondina.’ He is known for his exemplary work in films like ‘Simple Agi Ondh Love Story’, ‘Ulidavaru Kandanthe’, ‘Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu’ and ‘Kirik Party’. As an actor, he has proved that his forte lies in challenging roles and as a director, Rakshit has stood out for his unique style of narration. As he celebrates his birthday today, Rakshit, talks to Metrolife about his journey so far and his upcoming projects, including ‘Avane Srimannarayana’.

How did you hit upon the idea of ‘Avane Srimannarayana’?

We wanted to do something different after ‘Kirik Party.’ We have worked on a much bigger canvas this time, both in terms of production and content. We have taken our skillset to the next level.

Tell us about your character.

He is witty, intelligent and everything you can imagine. In the last teaser, we released only one look of Srimannarayana. The new teaser, that will be launched today, will reveal another look. His characters keep changing according to his convenience. He is a cop, a cool one at that, who works for the larger good (through his many avatars). But as a
human being, he is quite selfish.

Could you easily adapt to the mannerisms of the character?

When I wrote the script, I was pretty clear how I wanted the character to be. I struggled with adjusting to it for a week. It took me 15 days to get the body language and mannerisms right. I was particular about a lot of things when I scripted the character.

Did you draw inspiration from any other movies for some of the characters?

In some of Rajnikanth’s old films, he holds the cigar in a particular style, which has subconsciously influenced me. The scenes where I hold a cigar has similarity to those scenes.

What are some of the other films that you are working on?

The shoot for the second half of ‘777 Charlie’ will resume soon. My next directorial is inspired by the story and moral of ‘Punyakoti’.

Are you in a happy phase right now?

I am 36 years old and literally living my dream. This is the best life that I can have. I dreamt of becoming an actor as a child, and I never thought that I would be able to fulfil that.

How have you changed as a human being in the last few years?

People who know me very well tell me that I haven’t changed one bit. I don’t go out and interact with too many people. I have always kept to myself; I like it that way.

Is it easy to lead a quiet life in showbiz?

It doesn’t bother me as long as I am happy and at peace.

What plans for your birthday?

I am celebrating it with my friends and family.

How do you handle the competition?

I don’t consider my work in this industry as a competition. I look at the industry as one. I am happy if somebody else grows because that will boost the industry and expand our market. Any competition in the film industry is welcome as long as we are working together and the industry grows.

How do you handle negativity?

I don’t give it much importance to that because I know it won’t fetch me anything. There was a time when I used to feel bad and sulk even if I read one bad comment. But these things make you stronger and at one point you start ignoring it.