From film watching to direction

An ardent movie-buff, city-based Ranjith B steps into the shoes of director only to give shape to his ideas on a canvas named 'Cinema'.

Like many, creativity drove him to films. A Hyderabadi and a product of Shadan Engineering College, 24 years old Ranjith went abroad and pursued MS in Computer Sciences, but only to find his calling in the tinsel town. His directorial debut U&I is in the headlines recently having caught the fancy of many for its bold tagline...'Love, Sex, Suicide'.

"It's a 'clean' film dealing with the contemporary issues and been hailed more by parents than the youths," Ranjith is visibly elated. The new star cast - Rohan and Aditi Chowdary - hasn't drawn crowds to the theatres though. "The movie has no big openings and needed more promotion. But, I'm happy I succeeded in passing on the message devoid of skin show and more entertainingly," he states. During his tenure in the US, MMSes on sex scandals involving young girls and actors greeted Ranjith quite often. "One day, I bounced upon the idea to make a film and came home. Here I'm now with U&I."

Well, playing a director with no prior experience certainly requires guts. "Though a movie-buff, I've never been to a film shoot nor pursued any course. Thanks to Mani Ratnam sir. I grew up watching his films and it did help me all through. I thank my producer for trusting me. Hope, I did justice to my role," this young moviemaker flashes his 32!

There are quite a few in the Tollywood who have chosen the path untrodden. And, Ranjith wants to join the league by making some path-breaking films. "My next project unfolds into a college political drama, for which I'm planning to rope in big stars. It subtly reflects the sentiments of students." In pre-production stage, the project would make a mark in the heart of the audiences like RGV's Shiva, Ranjith believes.

Asked about competition, all that he quips, "It's undeniably true that carving a niche in the glam world is quite demanding, but I love challenges." Well, Ranjith is also planning to put his experiences in a booklet on making quality films with low budget. "Keep your brains open and believe in yourself," he tosses in an advice to the latent talents before signing off.