Stunt Choreographer Ravi Verma to essay a deaf-mute antagonist in Rowdy Fellow

Stunt choreographer Ravi Verma’s long-cherished dream of playing a menacing villain has finally come true. The stunt master, who has worked in south Indian films as well as Bollywood, has appeared in cameos earlier. However, now, he will essay a challenging and full-fledged role of a deaf-mute person in debutant director Rohit’s upcoming venture, Rowdy Fellow. Apart from directing the film, Rohit will also play the lead. Interestingly, the film’s script is mentored by KGF director Prashanth Neel.

“Though my forte has been choreographing stunts, I also had this thirst for acting. I have always wanted to play a villain’s role, and not a hero. I share a good rapport with Rohit, who is a good friend of mine, and he showed faith in my capabilities. The negative role sketched by them has scope for performance, and I took it up,” says Ravi Verma, who has completed the shoot.

Talking about this experience, he says, “My focus was only on the action part and how I should emote since I didn’t have dialogues to deliver. Everyone would be able to see the human qualities in a villain. I thought it was an interesting character to play.”

Rowdy Fellow is presented by FFF and bankrolled by Swarnalatha Productions in association with Padmavathi Pictures. The film also features Tamil actor Vidya Pradeep as the female lead, and stars Urvashi in a pivotal role. Nakul Abhyankar has done the song compositions, while Ravi Basrur has done the background score. Cinematography has been handled by Lavith.

Ravi Verma juggles stunt choreography, acting and direction

The stunt director reveals that he has been offered negative roles in a couple of Bollywood films too and that he is currently in the midst of discussions with them. “Talks are on with a few filmmakers, and I will be able to finalise once the pandemic subsides,” he tells CE.

Meanwhile, Ravi Verma, apart from being involved in stunt choreography and acting, has also tried his hands at direction with Rustum starring Shivarajkumar. Taking it forward, he has used the lockdown time to get ready with a couple of scripts, and is waiting for the right time to narrate the story to the actors who he thinks will fit the bill.