I'm not comfortable with comfort zones: Prakash Raj

Prakash Raj���s penchant for filmmaking admittedly stems from a predisposition to push himself to do things that he wouldn���t do normally. ���I am not comfortable with comfort zones. Acting is my comfort zone and direction is my way of breaking out of it,��� he says. With his latest directorial venture, Mana Oori Ramayanam, the National Award winner, is trying to break out of the Tollywood-formula mould.���When cinema becomes a business-model, that���s when you have to turn to the tried and tested tropes. A hyped hero, a comedian, a villain ��� these are usually set as separate aspects that play out in separate tracks. But all of these characters are often in the same person. And that person is Bujangiah,��� he explains.
Bujangiah, the protagonist played by Prakash Raj in Mana Oori Ramayanam, is a 50-year-old man with a wife and two kids, who returned to his town from Dubai after earning a lot of money. ���He���s a guy who wants a prestigious life. He probably was an aimless youngster whom the town looked down upon, which is why after getting all the money, he donates to the temple as everyone watches ��� he is buying his image.��� elaborates Prakash.
Set in the backdrop of Rama Navami, the festival has great significance in the film both aesthetically and metaphorically. ���Everybody worships and aspires to be Rama during this festival. They try to suppress the Ravana in them. And this serves as a perfect backdrop for the climax where Bujangiah emerges as a better person,��� he says.
Sounds like parallel cinema? ���It definitely isn���t your usual commercial cinema. So let���s call it parallel cinema,��� he signs off in style.
Mana Oori Ramayanam, released by Abhishek Pictures, releases today.