Major Ravi shares his rough experience while planning ’Keerthichakra’ with Biju Menon in the lead

Filmmaker and actor Major Ravi recently recounted a challenging experience while trying to pitch the story of his directorial debut, ‘Keerthichakra,’ to a producer from the US. The project was initially planned with Biju Menon in the lead role. However, when Major Ravi and Biju went to the Taj Hotel in Mumbai to meet the producer, the person was busy engrossed in a game of cards, though the director tried to narrate the script to him. Disappointed, Major Ravi walked out. He recounted the incident in an interview with The New Indian Express.

Major Ravi’s account:
“I have been involved with Keerthichakra since the start of the year 2000. It was originally planned with Biju Menon as the lead. I narrated the story to Biju who liked the script and brought a producer from the US. I was called to the Taj Hotel to hear the story. When Biju and I arrived, there were four people in the room and a deck of cards placed on the bed. As soon as Biju entered the room, the producer handed him a bundle of cards, ” Major Ravi recalled.

“I sat nearby and started narrating the script to him. But everyone was completely absorbed in the game. After narrating the story for some five minutes, I stopped and walked out. I cannot repeat what I told him, but l left the place. I told Biju that they invited him to the hotel just to keep them company and not because they were interested in doing the movie,” he said.

“I went home and the script remained with me for two years.Then, one day, it occurred to me to pitch the story to Mohanlal. So I hired a vehicle from Madras and narrated the story to him. I also got his shooting dates immediately,” he added.

On the making of Keerthichakra
“In Keerthichakra, I did not follow conventional rules of film direction. If you watch the movie again, you can notice scenes where I broke the norms, though they are subtle and not easy to spot. The editing in the film was carried out very meticulously,” Major Ravi said.
“In an attempt to trap me, one of my associates absconded with the edit report book. This person, who joined me on the second day of shooting, had planned to leave Kashmir much earlier. Then I had warned him I would hand over his photo to the CRPF to prevent him from leaving, but he later fled with the book to cause trouble. Keerthichakra was brought to life by overcoming several challenges ,” he concluded.