It’s RGV over content for Navadeep

‘Ice Cream’ will be a case study film once it hits the bulls-eye; flow-cam technology will change the dynamics of filmmaking

His friends and co-actors Nithiin, Sunil and Sharwanand collaborated with Ram Gopal Varma without much luck. But their failures did not affect Navadeep; he chose Ram Gopal Varma over ‘Ice Cream’s script. “Yes, I wanted to work with him because he always brings the best out of his actors. Moreover, it is a horror film, a genre where script takes a backseat to director’s vision and camera angles,” he says in a conversation with Sunday Hans.

“RGV is ego-free. You can crack jokes on him-- you can’t have the same liberty with other filmmakers. He even takes a dig at himself on occasions. He eats, breathes, dreams and lives cinema,” he adds. “When Varma first spoke about the way he would shoot the film, I was excited. It will be a case study film once it hits the bulls-eye; it will change the dynamics of filmmaking for better.”

“The film is a tale of a girl who is in a mental asylum - it is inspired by a real life story which happened in Bangalore. Even the police failed to get to the bottom of the story. Major portions of the film unfold in a house,” shares the actor who plays the role of a prankster Vishal in the film. “Varma has given me complete freedom to essay the role; his only requirement was that I behave naturally.”

The film has been shot using flow-cam technology. It was kind of tough, he avers. “More than me, it was tough on the part of Tejaswi because her portions were relatively long. In the conventional method, we break a scene into many parts, but with flow-cam we shoot a particular scene in one go. We both had to be on our toes.”

His last film ‘Bangaaru Kodi Petta’ (BKP) did not do well despite making an impression with the critics. “The critics and acting are irrelevant to the success of a film. As far as my limited knowledge goes, these days the filmmakers, actors and media are on one page while the audience is on another page. The latter want to get entertained, be it through action, comedy or songs. If we are not providing such entertainment, they aren’t accepting films. ‘BKP’ was a decent film, but it didn’t have those typical high points,” he reflects.

Does ‘Ice Cream’ have such high points? “It’s a horror thriller, so expect a bunch of highs. People will jump out of their seats in anticipation of what transpires next,” he responds.

On a parting note, the actor, one of the most eligible bachelors of Tollywood, says the thought of marriage hasn’t crossed his mind yet. “My relationship is going strong, but walking down the aisle is not on my itinerary currently. I’m waiting to score a hit,” he signs off.