He’s been the voice of the vilest villains on-screen but attained success as an actor only a few years ago. Today, there’s applause when Ravi Shankar appears on-screen because fans know he’s a worthy adversary. There’s a clamour for his call-sheets and I know two top producers are fighting for preference to finish their respective films. The wait has been worthwhile. Today, he’s the busiest baddie in town.
He resides on a quiet lane in far flung Yelahanka with the sprawling GKVK campus as his backyard. It’s his birthday and banners lead you to his house. There’s a temporary stage erected outside the gate where the star cut innumerable cakes offered by hordes of fans from midnight to dawn. His hospitable wife offers tea and fills you in about his illustrious family while we wait for him to return from a live TV interaction.
When you were dubbing for someone else, how often did you feel you’d have done a better job on-screen?
I always wondered why I hadn’t landed that role. I’m as tall, have the required personality and expressive eyes. On top of it, I’m adding life with my voice. I tried to figure out the defect I suffered from. It’s not as if nobody knew me. Even when I was cast it was as one in a group of friends. I decided this is not what I wanted. I debuted as a hero in a film called ‘Alochinchandi’. It was the time when Nagarjuna and Venkatesh debuted. It failed and I took it in my stride. I fell back on my dubbing career. My father too came to Chennai dreaming of becoming a hero. He ended up as a character and dubbing artiste. My mother was from an aristocratic family. She played horse polo in those days wearing jeans. She had only studied till sixth standard but had inculcated the habit of reading The Hindu . She insisted I read the editorial though I didn’t understand. She’d have been proud if she’d been alive. My parents wanted to live their dreams through their children. I’m a trained classical dancer and singer. There was an atmosphere of art in the house.
Were you jealous of your brother because he’d made it?
Yes, I was, seriously. It stemmed more from my inability to make it. He achieved stardom. He’s my idol along with my parents. We share similar qualities and people still mistake me for him which made it worse. I’ve seen so many brothers of famous people failing. He was a huge success here and producers felt he was a better option. I decided I had to do things differently.
Dubbing too is not easy. It’s not just about knowing a language.
Dubbing is a very difficult craft. It’s difficult to dub for oneself. Retaining the emotions is very tough. I may sound arrogant but I’m convincing even when someone else is emoting. For me, it was also an outpouring of my frustrations. You can’t just go to the dubbing studio and vomit your voice for a strange actor. I’m known to be the most versatile because I style my voice to suit the actor. Also, the timing is very important. I felt I was the character ‘Bommali’ while mouthing lines for Sonu Sood in ‘Arundathi’.
For you that’s a memorable film…
There’s no doubt. People recognise me by that film. It got me awards and applause.
I can understand the fact that you don’t approach producers now but not as a newcomer.
Yes, you’re right. You have to market yourself. My friends like Ravi Teja and Srikanth would go and knock on producer’s doors but I would shirk. I also wanted to do something different after watching Al Pacino in ‘Scarface’.
In your earlier films, you would chew and spit out Kannada words. You never spoke casually. Was it because of your theatre background?
You’re absolutely right. Part of the blame should be borne by the associate directors too who instruct me. There’s also the anxiety to speak the language correctly. I know Kannada but not enough to give an impromptu speech. It should not sound like you’re rattling off from memory. My 40 years of experience would go waste.
You’ve said actors seldom acknowledge your contribution to their performance but I’ve known dubbing artistes taking credit for the performance too.
That’s very wrong. I get your point. There was a time when I felt indispensible. I did not speak for Sonu Sood in ‘Dhookudu’ but the film was a super-hit. I take fifty percent of the credit in ‘Arundhathi’. The character needed my kind of voice but Sonu was terrific too.
Your performance in ‘Adhyaksha’ was a revelation. For once your character had various shades. You danced too.
After all the dark characters a change came with ‘Victory’. Then came ‘Adhyaksha’. I was reprising Sathyaraj’s role and that was challenging. He’s a fantastic actor, very casual. For once women liked me in ‘Adhyaksha’. They’re no longer scared of me. Before they would approach my wife in my presence and ask her how she was living with me. That’s the impact I had.
When you get an offer, do they just say that you play the main villain?
Not really. They do explain my character. I can sense that I’m getting repetitive but they insist. I can put my foot down only with some people. It’s a vicious circle. You get entangled in it.
I heard you’re still a busy dubbing artiste. Is it something sentimental with Telugu producers?
I don’t know about that but I’ve been doing it for the past 25 years. I dubbed for five different actors in ‘Arundathi’. I fly down to Hyderabad in the morning and I’m back home in the evening. It’s getting difficult now with my acting assignments.
You’re working with all the superstars in Kannada but ironically the biggest hit this year stars your brother Sai Kumar.
I thoroughly enjoyed ‘RangiTaranga’. Hats off to Anup Bhandari. He’s extracted a subdued performance from my brother.
You are tall and good-looking with an imposing personality. Knowing the industry, people must be tempting you to play the hero.
I’ve got many offers. My retort is if I play the villain the hero will hit me but if I play the hero the public will hit me. I will do lead roles that suit my age. I also yearn to work with directors like Girish Kasarvalli. I’m waiting.
