Rajavardan, the actor, who takes up new responsibilities in cinema, doesn’t mince words when it comes to his place in the industry. “An artist, until he gets established, doesn’t find freedom. They are just paid to be part of a project until they’re established. Nobody listens to them. I didn’t want to be just a paid artist.”
Coming from a visual arts background, Rajavardan’s path into cinema has been anything but linear. His debut, Fly, never saw the light of day, a setback that left him “mentally damaged.” Instead of retreating, he pressed forward—acting in films like Bicchugathi and a few others before launching his own banner, Barn Swallow Company. “If someone else were in my place, they might have quit. For me, those lessons taught me how a few producers think. I didn’t want the same mistakes to happen under my watch.”
That ethos now drives Kamal Sridevi, slated for release on September 19. “Out of the 280 to 300 films made each year, only 8 to 10 really do well, and I want Kamal Sridevi to be in that list. That’s my responsibility as a producer.”
For Rajavardan, stepping into production was never just financial, but a creative decision. “When you’re an actor, you’re limited to your role. As a producer and creative head, I can shape the film from start to finish. Sometimes, that responsibility is even bigger than the director’s. I don’t think only the director should be the captain of the ship; everyone involved should own it. I’ve gone through the script sixty times. I’ve done six months of paperwork. We can tear paper, but we can’t tear money. That discipline is what makes a film stand.”
Much of his outlook stems from his father, veteran actor Dingri Nagaraj. “My father worked across 800 films, doing everything from giving tea, helping artists wear their shoes, working in the costumes and production design departments, before becoming an actor,” Rajavardan recalls. “Watching him, I realised cinema is bigger than just acting. You need to know the business, from registering a title to distribution.”
That sense of responsibility shapes Barn Swallow Productions. “From the spot boy to the lead actor, everyone is treated equally. Everyone is the captain of the ship,” he says. Collaboration has also been key, with Dhanalakshmi’s Swarnambika Pictures on board as a partner. Director Sunil Kumar VA has been a creative ally, while casting Sachin Cheluvarayaswamy, Sangeetha Bhat, Kishore, and Ramesh Indira was approached with patience.
Content, he insists, remains king. “Look at Malayalam cinema. They sell a film with a poster and the first show, and they rely purely on content. That’s the model I believe in. My training in visual arts makes me think that way: what you show has to be unique, and it has to be presented well.”
As both actor and producer, and creative head, Rajavardan is still finding new ground. “Every five years, an artist’s placement must change. That’s how you survive,” he reflects. “I want to take up every aspect of cinema, because in the end, just acting doesn’t make a complete actor.”