<p>Actor Rajavardan says he has struggled a lot to stay in the industry. Seen last as DSP in the film ‘Noorondu Nenapu’, where he sported a retro look, the actor is excited about his upcoming film ‘Bichhugathii Chapter 1- Dalavayi Dange’. </p>.<p>In a candid chat with Metrolife, he throws light on the film, his struggles and more. </p>.<p><strong>Tell us about ‘Bichhugathii’. </strong></p>.<p>The historical film is being directed by Hari Santhosh and is a story set in Chitradurga, about the Nayaka community. Our film portrays the ancestors of the ‘Madakari Nayaka’ (which is actor Darshan’s next movie). I play the role of Bharama, a 15th-century warrior. </p>.<p><strong>What convinced you to do the film?</strong></p>.<p>The producer approached me for the role in 2018. I was instantly attracted to the script. The film is based on a novel by B L Venu and after reading it, I was even more convinced. </p>.<p><strong>Did you have to do any homework?</strong></p>.<p>I had to train a lot for this role. From horse-riding to sword-fighting, kalarippayattu to wrestling, I had to go through some intense training courses. I am 6.3 feet tall and weighed only 80 kgs then, so I was asked to gain more weight to add to the look. </p>.<p>My personal fitness trainers helped me through the process. I took almost six months to get the right look, and train well for the role. </p>.<p><strong>Among all these forms, which is the toughest?</strong></p>.<p>Kalarippayattu was the toughest of them all. The martial art form requires a lot of stretching and because of my height, I couldn’t do it beyond a point. Horse riding was also quite challenging because of my body weight.<br />The ideal weight when horse riding is 75 kilos; it was very difficult for me and the horse. I often had a backache due to this. </p>.<p><strong>Did you face any other challenges?</strong></p>.<p>The language used in ‘Bichhugathii’ is not like contemporary regular Kannada. Since the story is historical, some words used were quite complex.</p>.<p>Also, the actor opposite me is Prabhakar (Kalakeya from ‘Baahubali’), and it was quite difficult to battle him in scenes, as he is also taller than 6 feet. I love action scenes, I have around 13 fight sequences in the film, which was quite different. ‘Bichhugathii’ is a dream come true for me. </p>.<p><strong>Have you continued practising any of the forms you learnt?</strong></p>.<p>Though the shoot of the film is over and post-production is on, I have continued horse-riding, it is a great workout. I love horses. My horse, Moher, is very attached to me. </p>.<p><strong>What are you working on currently?</strong></p>.<p>The dubbing of the film just got done and re-recordings are happening. I am working on reducing my weight for the next projects. I am listening to a few scripts but nothing is final yet.</p>.<p><strong>How has your journey been so far?</strong></p>.<p>This is my fifth year in the industry and it has not been a smooth one. Just being senior actor Dingri Nagaraj’s son hasn’t helped me anywhere. I have never had a red carpet welcome or been favoured just because my father was a film artiste. </p>.<p>I have had a tough journey so far. Though ‘Fly’ was intended to be my debut film, it was delayed for reasons unknown to me. I also worked on ‘Ira’ which hasn’t come out yet. I’m sure that ‘Bichhugathii’ will change things for me. </p>.<p><strong>A lesson you have learnt. </strong></p>.<p>Patience is the key. </p>.<p><strong>Father, son together onscreen for first time</strong></p>.<p>“It is the first time that my father Dingri Nagaraj and I will be seen on screen together. In front of the camera, we are all actors, but after the shots, we would be the fun father-son duo. In some scenes, my father would get beaten up by the villains; it was a bit hard for me to watch those.”</p>.<p>— Rajavardan, actor</p>
<p>Actor Rajavardan says he has struggled a lot to stay in the industry. Seen last as DSP in the film ‘Noorondu Nenapu’, where he sported a retro look, the actor is excited about his upcoming film ‘Bichhugathii Chapter 1- Dalavayi Dange’. </p>.<p>In a candid chat with Metrolife, he throws light on the film, his struggles and more. </p>.<p><strong>Tell us about ‘Bichhugathii’. </strong></p>.<p>The historical film is being directed by Hari Santhosh and is a story set in Chitradurga, about the Nayaka community. Our film portrays the ancestors of the ‘Madakari Nayaka’ (which is actor Darshan’s next movie). I play the role of Bharama, a 15th-century warrior. </p>.<p><strong>What convinced you to do the film?</strong></p>.<p>The producer approached me for the role in 2018. I was instantly attracted to the script. The film is based on a novel by B L Venu and after reading it, I was even more convinced. </p>.<p><strong>Did you have to do any homework?</strong></p>.<p>I had to train a lot for this role. From horse-riding to sword-fighting, kalarippayattu to wrestling, I had to go through some intense training courses. I am 6.3 feet tall and weighed only 80 kgs then, so I was asked to gain more weight to add to the look. </p>.<p>My personal fitness trainers helped me through the process. I took almost six months to get the right look, and train well for the role. </p>.<p><strong>Among all these forms, which is the toughest?</strong></p>.<p>Kalarippayattu was the toughest of them all. The martial art form requires a lot of stretching and because of my height, I couldn’t do it beyond a point. Horse riding was also quite challenging because of my body weight.<br />The ideal weight when horse riding is 75 kilos; it was very difficult for me and the horse. I often had a backache due to this. </p>.<p><strong>Did you face any other challenges?</strong></p>.<p>The language used in ‘Bichhugathii’ is not like contemporary regular Kannada. Since the story is historical, some words used were quite complex.</p>.<p>Also, the actor opposite me is Prabhakar (Kalakeya from ‘Baahubali’), and it was quite difficult to battle him in scenes, as he is also taller than 6 feet. I love action scenes, I have around 13 fight sequences in the film, which was quite different. ‘Bichhugathii’ is a dream come true for me. </p>.<p><strong>Have you continued practising any of the forms you learnt?</strong></p>.<p>Though the shoot of the film is over and post-production is on, I have continued horse-riding, it is a great workout. I love horses. My horse, Moher, is very attached to me. </p>.<p><strong>What are you working on currently?</strong></p>.<p>The dubbing of the film just got done and re-recordings are happening. I am working on reducing my weight for the next projects. I am listening to a few scripts but nothing is final yet.</p>.<p><strong>How has your journey been so far?</strong></p>.<p>This is my fifth year in the industry and it has not been a smooth one. Just being senior actor Dingri Nagaraj’s son hasn’t helped me anywhere. I have never had a red carpet welcome or been favoured just because my father was a film artiste. </p>.<p>I have had a tough journey so far. Though ‘Fly’ was intended to be my debut film, it was delayed for reasons unknown to me. I also worked on ‘Ira’ which hasn’t come out yet. I’m sure that ‘Bichhugathii’ will change things for me. </p>.<p><strong>A lesson you have learnt. </strong></p>.<p>Patience is the key. </p>.<p><strong>Father, son together onscreen for first time</strong></p>.<p>“It is the first time that my father Dingri Nagaraj and I will be seen on screen together. In front of the camera, we are all actors, but after the shots, we would be the fun father-son duo. In some scenes, my father would get beaten up by the villains; it was a bit hard for me to watch those.”</p>.<p>— Rajavardan, actor</p>
