My Name is RaGa: Rupesh Paul opens up on his comeback after 4 Years

By Team MyNation  |  First Published Feb 13, 2019, 4:56 PM IST

In a surprise move, Rupesh Paul released a four-minute teaser of Rahul Gandhi biopic that made people go berserk.

It seems to be raining biopics in Indian cinema, especially on influential political leaders. With just two months in 2019, we have witnessed the release of three biopics on powerful leaders, The Accidental Prime Minister (biopic on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, NTR Kathanayakudu (biopic on late NT Rama Rao) and Yatra (biopic on late YS Rajashekar Reddy).

Now, also in the making are other biopic films. Narendra Modi’s biopic stars Vivek Oberoi in the lead role. Vidya Balan will star as Indira Gandhi in a web-series based on journalist Sagarika Ghose’s biography and down south a biopic on former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa is being made which will see Nithya Menen essaying the role of The Iron Lady.

In a surprise move, Rupesh Paul released a four-minute teaser of Rahul Gandhi biopic that made people go berserk.

While the internet is buzzing with the recently released teaser on the biopic of Congress president Rahul titled ‘My Name is RaGa’, we got in touch with Paul Rupesh the filmmaker of the biopic.

In a tête-à-tête, Rupesh opened about his work and his comeback in showbiz. ‘My Name Is ‘RaGa has sent movie buffs curious about the film, especially the Congress supporters as the film traces the personal and political journey of Rahul. The film is slated to release weeks before the Lok Sabha elections 2019.

On being asked about the kind of films and choices that he makes, Rupesh said, “Being a writer, you are free, you are not forced to sell it. You need appreciation. You don’t have to recover the cost of making it. The biggest challenge as an artist I felt after becoming a filmmaker from a poet is that you are accountable and responsible every moment. You are bound to recover the making cost, if not the profits. So you always keep your secret wishes aside and looks for what your audience wishes to watch.”

Filmmaker Paul has always managed to grab headlines and stir controversies with his earlier movies. His films Saint Dracula (2012), What The F (2013) and Kamasutra 3D (2015) created a stir on social media during its release.

Rupesh, primarily a poet, entered showbiz with critically acclaimed Malayalam movie My Mother’s Laptop. He then made a short film You Can’t Step Into the Same River Twice, which was selected in the Cannes Short Film Festival.

His interest for unique and different genre films helped him to commission a different version of the vampire King Dracula called Saint Dracula. Shot in stereoscopic 3D at the exotic locales of United Kingdom, the movie managed to get a global release.

Rupesh’s first stint in Bollywood was with Kamasutra 3D which saw Sherlyn Chopra playing the lead. Sherlyn was seen shedding her inhibitions in the film which grabbed several headlines across India. The film was not released in India due to its adult content. However, Kamasutra witnessed the biggest pre-sale for any Indian movie at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013 as it was sold in 16 international territories.

Rupesh's other project The Vanishing Act loosely based on the disappearance of MH 370 flight invited big controversies as he was slammed by the international media for commercialising the sentiments of the people.

After My Name is RaGa, Rupesh’s next project is titled The Great Indian Casino which stars Amisha Patel in the lead. The film has been produced under the banner Cinemirchi Productions and is under post-production.

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