Rajavardan trained for 6 months for new look

The actor trained in kalaripayattu, horse-riding for his role as a 15th century warrior

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’.

In a candid chat with Metrolife, he throws light on the film, his struggles and more.

Tell us about ‘Bichhugathii’.

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.

What convinced you to do the film?

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.

Did you have to do any homework?

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.

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.

Among all these forms, which is the toughest?

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.
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.

Did you face any other challenges?

The language used in ‘Bichhugathii’ is not like contemporary regular Kannada. Since the story is historical, some words used were quite complex.

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.

Have you continued practising any of the forms you learnt?

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.

What are you working on currently?

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.

How has your journey been so far?

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.

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.

A lesson you have learnt.

Patience is the key.

Father, son together onscreen for first time

“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.”

— Rajavardan, actor