Reel mirrors real life as Chetan plays revolutionary in Ranam

Actor Chetan Kumar is also a social worker, political activist and intellectual, who is focused on the tenets of Buddha, Basava and Ambedkar. So when a role came his way that was in line with his principles, the actor had no second thoughts about taking it up.

For his upcoming film, Ranam, the actor is styling himself along the lines of revolutionary freedom fighter Che Guevara. The film is directed by V Samudra, a well-known Telugu director, who has worked in 14 films before venturing into his first Kannada film. The first schedule, which took place in Kanakapura and Bengaluru, has been completed.

We caught up with Chetan, who is particularly excited about this role, which he says is something close to his heart. In fact, he took to social media and shared a picture of himself with his make up artist, Purushotham Tejas, and revealed his look from the film. The post read: “Essaying a role very close to my heart in an upcoming venture. Here are a couple of pictures with makeup chief/workers’s rights champion Purshotham Tejas. Stay tuned for more details."

Ranam will be made in Kannada and Telugu, and is produced by Kanakapura Srinivas, who has previously produced films such as Topiwala, Dana Kayonu and Bharjari. While Chetan plays the lead in the Kannada version, the makers are currently looking for an equally good artiste in Telugu. The director says he has  shortlisted three prominent artistes and is on the verge of finalising the hero.

“I have an interesting character to play, it’s that of a freedom fighter, a person who fights against injustice, especially the struggles of farmers. Water rights will also be one of the points of focus. The hero gets to the grass roots, and mobilises thousands of farmers across state to provide benefits, something that the government hasn’t been able to,” says Chetan, adding, “The role is one that I completely associate with.”  

He is also thrilled with the dialogues in the film especially since this is the first time that he has lengthy lines to deliver. “Everything seems to connect with me. It’s like the role was made for me. There is lot of similarity between my offscreen work and my onscreen role,” he says.

The film's makers have given him a look that makes him look ‘strong’ while also including earthy colours to match the nature of the role. “I have a beard and long hair which is tied up. My looks matche those of Che Guevara. But the content is very Indianised and my character is intelligent and passionate. The best part is when you get to play yourself on screen,” he says.

The second schedule of the film is planned from June 20. The Kannada version of Ranam has music by Gurukiran and cinematography by Niranjanan Babu.