Shooting for Rangasthalam made me reconnect with my village roots

It’s extremely rare to see Gen X stars of Tollywood act in films with a complete rural backdrop, much less play an out-and-out village boor like Chitti Babu in Rangasthalam. But Ram Charan believes that the USP of the film lies in it’s unabashed rusticity. “This is a kind of subject that we’re used to seeing in Tamil cinema, or in some of the 80s films that dad (Chiranjeevi) acted in. We were clear from the start that the essence of the story lies in it’s other-worldly rustic charm,” quips Charan. The actor promises that the film will be a visual treat. “We shot the film in a small village near Rajahmundry that is surrounded by lush green fields. However, the film will have a golden brown tinge to it that captures the essence of the landscape and that will be stunning. Hats off to DOP Rathnavelu for pulling it off,” he exudes. Admittedly, he completely immersed himself in his role of a village lad, forgetting the luxuries of city life. “Chitti Babu is a guy who would earn between `200 to `500 a month. He’s someone who has never seen a city in his life. So I forgot everything that is a part of my life here in Jubilee Hills — friends, events, parties or luxuries. In fact I’ve become much more simple in the way I dress after playing the character. I stopped wearing all my branded clothes and have been sticking to only kurtas now,” the Dhruva star reveals. With Rangasthalam, the actor also fulfiled his dream of going back to a village. “I realised that it’s been 30 years since I went back to my village (Mogalturu) where my forefathers came from. I feel fortunate that I got to act in a film that gave me a chance to reconnect with my village roots. Mana ooru lo untattu aa feeling vacchindi (I got a feeling of being in my village), it was an unforgettable experience. It didn’t feel like I was shooting, it felt like a holiday,” he gushes. Instead of going for holidays in exotic locations in Europe, Maldives or other overseas destinations, people must take time off to discover unknown gems, much closer home which are just as breathtaking, reckons Charan. “When I asked my wife (Upasana) to join me at the shoot, she was reluctant initially, because there was no mobile connectivity, no social media, nothing. After she came, the 20 days she was there, she was blown away by the picturesque locations. After a few years, it’s not going to be the same because of the Polavaram project. All this is going to be submerged,” he adds.