Manoranjan: It is not as easy for me to fill my father’s shoes

There has been constant buzz about Crazy Star Ravichandran’s sequel to Premaloka, the rom-com that came out 37 years ago. Ravichandran is preparing for Premaloka 2 and is going all out to make it much bigger and better. Back in the day, the original film, directed by and starring Ravichandran, marked the debut of Juhi Chawla in Kannada and brought in a huge ensemble cast, including a few top stars (Vishnuvardhan, Prabhakar, Lokesh) of that era. The romantic drama, which was also a musical entertainer, had as many as 11 songs, which this generation of audiences still enjoy. Now, the actor-director plans to compose 25 songs, a process that is underway. While the preparation for Premaloka 2 is going on in full swing, he also made an announcement about the commencement of the project, on his birthday, May 30. Simultaneously, Ravichandran had also mentioned that his elder son Manoranjan is playing the lead, with himself and his second son, Vikram Ravichandran, playing pivotal characters. Recently, CE spoke to Manoranjan Ravichandran about the much-talked-about project, and he shared his two cents about his preparations for the film and making it.

“I am just getting ready, and going by my father’s words, I am doing dance practice and rigorous exercise,” reveals Manoranjan. “My father is very particular about the preparation, and the first step in it is to lose weight. He is keeping track of me every day or at least on a weekly basis, especially on my exercise and dance rehearsals,” he adds.

About the excitement surrounding Premaloka 2, the actor says, “The film comes with plenty of expectations even before it even goes on floors, but it is not easy for me to do as well as he did in Premaloka. It’s been over 37 years since the original Premaloka released, and people still remember it and the songs in the film. It is going to take a lot of hard work and performance of mine for people to like me in Premaloka 2.”

About the original, the excitement surrounding its sequel, and his preparation for its production, the actor says, “Not that Premaloka will be forgotten; it is an evergreen classic, but they should at least see and appreciate that I have put in my hard work for the sequel. Of course, there is excitement because Premaloka is a big title to be a part of. I am still getting cold feet and counting down to the announcement date. I am not allowed to be on social media, nor am I allowed to be seen everywhere for another month until May 30.”

He admits that he is not getting into too many details day in and day out with his father and how the script is shaping up because the latter is still working on it.

Apparently, apart from Premaloka 2, Manoranjan is also working on finalising a couple of projects, which he plans to reveal more about once the time is right. Once everything falls into place, he plans to simultaneously do those projects as well. “I have not been on film sets over the last three years, after Prarambha, and I am working on making a comeback this year. There were a lot of complaints that I have put on weight and have issues with body language, and I am working on how I look on screen. Now, I will be making sure that there will not be any complaints about my looks or weight when I come back on screen.”