Strong narratives need digital & traditional outreach: Rajavardan

Rajavardan says that he is always on “the lookout for meaningful narratives”. In fact, this is what led the actor to his latest role as a creative head and producer. He established his own banner, the Barn Swallow Company, with his debut production being Kamal Sridevi, starring Sachin Cheluvarayaswamy and Sangeetha Bhat. He tells us that the film’s concept originated from a single line from director Lohith of Mummy fame. “During a team discussion, the title Kamal Sridevi came up, and we all found it intriguing. We worked on the story for six months before we got Sachin and Sangeetha to play lead roles. The film follows the journey of a young woman confronted by seven dominating characters, and has been directed by Sunil Kumar,” explains Rajavardan. “As a producer with a master’s degree in visual arts, I was uncompromising about the film’s look. We shot for 63 days with great attention to detail. My father, veteran actor Dingri Nagraj, has always reminded me that work is worship, and I wanted my debut as a producer to reflect that spirit. I also realised that digital-only publicity is not enough. I believe strong content and word-of-mouth are key, but “traditional publicity is still indispensable,” especially in rural areas where social media has limited reach. For this film, I made a point to blend traditional marketing with digital outreach to connect with audiences everywhere,” he shares.