‘We need higher budgets to create quality content’: Actor Rahul Dev

“The film will release soon and we shot for it in Bishkek. This is a film that was purely made for a theatrical experience. However, it would make for a good OTT content as well,” he begins. Prod him about the Indian OTT scene and whether it will take some time for our OTT players to catch up with international quality content, he says, “When you look at Hollywood or any other international movie or content, the budget is immense. Whereas, we don’t pool in so much money to bring out a content to their level despite having brilliant technicians in our country. Even actors for that matter are being paid high in America or Spain for the same job we do. Also, we really don’t have an audience here. A person sitting in Chennai wouldn’t watch a Hindi movie or vice versa. Only a film like Baahubali or 2.0 would create curiosity among the audiences across the country.”

 The actor would shoot for a comic caper titled Velapanthi post lockdown. “I have completed 15 days of shoot for Velapanthi and we will resume the shoot once lockdown is over. Apart from that, I have a couple of web series that are coming up,” he adds. The actor was last seen in a Tamil film five years

 ago, which was Ajith’s Vedalam. Since then he hasn’t been a part of one. “It wasn’t a conscious decision. I would love to act regardless of what language it is. I have been an actor for two decades now and come from a modelling background. Those days, there was a myth that models could not act. I attended a workshop held by Paintal saab, who was a comedian. We had a gibberish class for which I won a memento. It stressed the importance of how one can emote beyond languages. Also, Tamil and Telugu makers are really good at making mainstream films and make-believe stories. One thing I am very specific about is that I don’t want to be repetitive as an artiste,” he explains. Rahul has also been a role model for fitness over the years.

 “A person needs to push, pull, lift, and rotate as these are basic functions of a human body. So, I do these in different combinations at the gym. Currently, I am recovering from a shoulder injury and am taking rest,” he concludes.