Ramya: I feel like I’m making my debut all over again

Ramya, who made her debut with Puneeth Rajkumar’s Abhi, soon worked with the top actors of Kannada cinema like Shivarajkumar, Darshan and Sudeep, and was even known as the Sandalwood Queen. In addition to enjoying a fan frenzy in Kannada cinema, Ramya also had a dedicated fan following in Tamil cinema. At the top of her game, Ramya took a break from showbiz to concentrate on her political career. Now, after a decade, Ramya is finally back to cinema with her upcoming project, Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye.

Written and directed by Raj B Shetty, this project will be backed by Ramya’s Applebox Studios, in association with Lighter Buddha Films. The film will have music scored by Midhun Mukundan.

In an exclusive interaction with CE, Ramya shared her excitement about her comeback film. “I’m really nervous, and I feel like I’m making my debut all over again. The beginning was an innocent step. There was no set formula, and at that nervousness was different. But now, there are a whole lot of expectations, and it is really scary. But I’m confident because of Raj and the story he has written. Being a first-time producer, I have been involved in the entire process, and we are confident about pulling off this rather unique attempt. Of course, there are butterflies in my stomach when I think of facing the camera after all these years,” says Ramya.

Ramya’s comeback also has Raj return to the romantic genre after delivering the hard-hitting and intense Garuda Gamana Vrishaba Vahana. So how did this interesting collaboration happen? “Even though I was in politics, the movie buff in me never went away. I was offered some good Kannada films then, but I had to turn them down. I was also approached by Hombale Films for Puneeth Rajkumar-Pawan Kumar’s Dvitva. Appu even called me about this amazing project, but it didn’t materialise. But Karthik Gowda (the executive producer of Hombale Films and heading KRG Studios) and I were in touch. He was the one who kept pushing me to return to films. However, when I started listening to scripts, I realised how certain aspects of cinema have changed, but the kind of roles written for heroines remained the same. I was very disappointed. I decided to wait it out, and look for the right project. Meanwhile, I reached out to Raj and shared my elation about his fantastic GGVV. He too mentioned that he was a big fan of my work, and his upcoming script would best suit an actor like me. Once I heard the amazing script, I knew this was the project I am returning with. I liked how he had two different and unique stories to tell in his first two films. I’m glad to be working with him for his third directorial outing, which also has him play the lead,” says Ramya.

Swathi Muthina Male Haniye also has Ramya turning producer with this romantic film. “More than a romantic subject, it is about women’s role in society. It is also about the concept of love, and how a lot of calculations are involved in its present form. Can we define love or not? Raj has conceived an interesting story around this concept, and I just wanted to be part of his vision.”

The project is currently at the scripting stage, and the team are finalising the rest of the cast before going on floors by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, Ramya shares that Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye will not be a one-off project, and she is very much back to cinema. She will be part of three more projects in 2023. “I’m overwhelmed with the love I have been receiving from the people of Karnataka, who kept asking me about my return. When there is so much receptiveness from them, I thought why shouldn’t I return, and well, here I am,” she signs off.