‘Heart and soul has gone into Rambo 2’

The Kannada film industry is eagerly waiting for the poll tamasha to die down, so they can get back to entertainment again. While many big films are gearing up for release, one that is much-awaited is Rambo 2. On Friday, the film was cleared by the censor board and it will be released next week.

Rambo 2 directed by Anil Kumar stars Sharan and Ashika Ranganath. It is produced by a bunch of technicians and actors who've turned producers. The film is made under the banner Laddoo Cinema owned by actor Sharan and comedian Chikkanna. Along with them, director Tarun Sudhir, distributor and producer Atlanta Nagendra, music director Arjun Janya, cinematographer Sudhakar S Raj, editor KM Prakash and art director Mohan B Kere-- are all on board as producers for the film. Aside from the cinematographer and the female lead Ashika, the team remains the same as that of Rambo, released in 2012.

In conversation with Cinema Express, filmmaker Tarun Sudhir, talks about the project in detail.

When technicians/actors turn producers…

With technicians and actors turning producers, we didn't have to convince any producer about the budget. We are aware of what we are trying to do and are looking at only what's best for the film. With more technicians coming on board as producers, I think we will become more responsible. Investing in a film has also made us realise the struggle a producer goes through, and the pain he is put through. As technicians and actors, we do our job and are paid for it. Now, as investors, our regard for a producer has only soared.

Heart and soul has gone in to making Rambo 2

While making Rambo 2, the idea was not to do so simply for business purposes. And we think the audience will surely agree when they watch the film. People will feel that we have made the film out of passion. Irrespective of the box-office results, we will be proud of this film. Honestly, we’ve invested much time and money into this project. Whether people like our work or not, nobody can discount our effort.

A film based on trust

Sharan has a good working relation with the technicians. They too have understood his style.. This film is not a commercial one. It’s a film made on trust. We all started the journey together and have been with each other through thick and thin. 

Sharan doesn't need a career boost

An actor like Sharan doesn't need a boost. We can never predict how the film is going to affect an actor's career. There has been a pre-release buzz and the audio has been a hit. We are aware that a couple of Sharan's previous films have not done well, but it does not make a difference. Failures and success are part of every actor's life.  More importantly, it also depends on the team Sharan comes with. 

Rambo 2 has no relevance to the first part

Rambo 2 has the entire team of Rambo coming together once again (except for Ashika and Sudhakar). Even the production manager, Narasimha, who started his career from that film, has evolved over the years. Everyone has grown from the Rambo days. There has been a huge gap between the series because there was no script. We also got busy with our own commitments. But when we got hold of a subject, it required a title like Rambo, which is why we came up with Rambo 2. Just like in the first part, the car will be featured in a major role. However, instead of one, we have used two cars. It is the shades of the film that gave rise to the title

A comedy thriller with a message

Rambo 2 is a road movie and a kind of a genre that is rarely taken up. Though the subject is something we are all aware of, we’re portraying it in a different way.  We have seen these kind of scripts explored a lot in Hollywood, and we were happy that we are bringing it to Kannada. Today experiment is the key, and we have tried our hands with something new. As for Sharan, we have made sure that he has his signature style, which people like about him, but the role he plays is fresh.