Bheeman Raghu on his maiden directorial ‘Chaana’: This was a story worth telling - EXCLUSIVE!

It was a pleasant sunny day. Actor Bheeman Raghu was driving through the packed roads of Kayamkulam. And amidst all the noise, traffic, and the bustle, Raghu’s eyes locked on a man - a cutler, walking through the pathway carrying his knife sharpener on his shoulders. Raghu, who was intrigued by the sight, parked his vehicle nearby and rushed to the cutler. The man was a Tamilian, and he was taken aback by Raghu’s excellent command of Tamil. “Ungaloda Tamizh eppidi ivlo nalla irukku sir (How do you know Tamil so well)?” the cutler asked Raghu in surprise. Though most of the Keralites could speak Tamil, the cutler was awed by the authenticity of Raghu’s accent. Raghu introduced himself to the man and asked him about his whereabouts. “At that moment I knew, that the man standing in front of me will make a compelling hero. When I told him, that he inspired me to make a movie, he was more than happy to walk me through his life. Before we bid goodbye, I enquired about the price of the apparatus and was determined to tell his story, with a tinge of fiction, of course,” Bheeman Raghu reminisced, as he spoke to ETimes, about the inspiration behind his maiden directorial ‘

Chaana

’.

Police inspector turned actor Bheeman Raghu, who stepped into M-Town initially as a replacement for iconic actor Jayan, post his demise, has been working in the entertainment industry for the past four decades, and has been constantly trying to reinvent himself as an actor. From the unfeeling villain to the hilarious supporting character, Bheeman Raghu has played it all, and with ‘Chaana’ he is embarking on a new journey.

In an exclusive conversation with ETimes, Bheeman Raghu spills the beans on his debut directorial ‘Chaana’.

“After meeting the man, I also paid a visit to a group of people who are involved in the same profession. Following that, I brought the Chaana (knife sharpener), and for about one and a half months, I practiced sharpening knives. It is no easy job, and my trial and error with knives did upset my wife (laughs),” Bheeman Raghu says grinning, unlike the cruel villain characters he played on-screen!

‘Chaana’ tells the story of a man, who migrates from Tenkasi to Kerala with his family, and his work apparatus - Chaana, a knife sharpener, in dreams of making a better living. Bheeman Raghu has roped in to play the lead role of Kanakan in the film, “I wanted to play the character, the moment I met the man, however, at the initial stage, I hardly had plans to direct. This was a story worth telling. I was engrossed in the scripting process, and during the pre-production stage, it was an organic development that I don the director’s cap.”

“Our film is an emotional family drama. It’s the story of a man, who relocates to Kerala, with his daughter, after the death of her mother. The child is 13 and speech impaired, and ‘Chaana’ follows the life of the father and daughter, post their arrival in Kerala. Though I have played diverse roles, I have never got to play a character like Kanakan. And I feel, that the family audience and women especially tend to connect me with the antagonists I have played on screen. I believe, Kanakan will change that impression,” Raghu adds.

‘Chaana’ was filmed in various locations including Alappuzha, Haripad, Kayamkulam, Tenkasi, and Kanyakumari. And the team has wrapped up the shoot and the film is currently under post-production. Bheeman Raghu is completely engaged in the post-production process and the film will be released soon.