Content matters more than budget in today’s cinema, says Ritvvik Mathad

With Maarnami running in the theatre, actor Ritvvik Mathad is returning to films with a story that blends romance with cultural flavour. The actor, who has been active on television over the years, says the film has been a deeply personal jour ney, both on and off set. Talking about the film, Ritvvik shares, “There is no su pernatural angle — it’s purely about their relationship and the emotions be tween them.” Excerpts:

'I realised the folk dance needs serious energy'ne of the most challenging parts of the film, he says, was performing the folk dance during the climax. “We shot that sequence over four nights. It was my first time wearing the Huli Ve sha and performing the dance,” he shares. “I used to think it was simple, but once I started dancing, I re alised how much en ergy it requires. Even for 30 seconds, you have to give your full power. It’s not as easy as it looks, but I really enjoyed the ex perience.”

'CINEMA JUST GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO PREPARE AS AN ACTOR’

Though Maarnami marks his return to films after a gap, the actor says he never felt away from acting. “I was do ing serials regularly, so it didn’t feel like a break. Cinema is just larger in scale — that’s the only difference,” he says. “In serials, we shoot 11 to 12 scenes a day, while in films it’s one or two, so you get more time to prepare and understand the character,” he adds. Speaking about working with co actor Chaitra, Ritvvik says she made the process comfortable. “I’m quite shy and introverted, but she took the initiative to talk and put me at ease. She’s a strong performer, and it became easier to match her in emotional scenes. Honestly, the credit for our chemistry goes to her,” he says.




‘I worked in almost every department’

For Ritvvik, Maarnami has been more than just an acting assignment. “I’ve been involved from the start — from the story to nding the producer and building the team. I’ve worked across departments, including camera and art. What I take back is a wealth of experience from every aspect of filmmaking,” he says.

‘Rooted cinema always connects with the audience easily’

Ritvvik believes Kannada cinema is currently seeing strong resonance for culturally rooted stories. “Whenever we re ect our roots and culture, audiences connect easily. Our lm also comes from that space,” he says. At the same time, he dismisses the idea of the industry being con ned to one genre. “We’re making both rooted lms and commercial entertainers — it’s not just one kind of cinema.”Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”