South Indian Cinema: Looking Through the Eyes of Actress Ragini Dwivedi

By

Ratnesh Dwivedi

The Indian film industry is the largest film industry in the world which produces more than 1000 films every year and South Indian Cinema makes a large part of it.

The Cinema of South India is used to refer collectively to the five film industries of South India, the Tamil, the Telugu, the Kannada, the Malayalam, and the Tulu film industries, as a single entity. They are based in Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kochi and Mangalore respectively.

Although developed independently for a long period of time, gross exchange of film performers and technicians as well as globalisation helped to shape this new identity, which competes with other film industries in the world. The largest industries are the Tamil and the Telugu film industries, which are responsible for 55% of all film revenues in South India as of 2013. The industry is regulated by the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce.

Ratnesh Dwivedi spoke to the much acclaimed actress of South Indian Cinema Ragini Dwivedi. She has worked in all four South Indian languages but her major imprint is Kannada Cinema.

Ratnesh Dwivedi: Ragini, you have reached the pinnacle of your Southern India Cinema career, despite the fact that you are from Northern India. What are the reasons behind your success in South Indian Cinema?

Ragini Dwivedi: I think you need to connect with the people, you need to connect with the industry and I think I have been very lucky doing those things that I have captured the heart of the audience in the South because it’s not very easy as there are a lot of people from the outside. I think I just probably did something right and in terms of my acting in terms of my films in terms of who I am with my sense.

Ratnesh Dwivedi: What are the distinctions and differences between South Indian Cinema or perhaps Regional Cinema and Bollywood?

Ragini Dwivedi: I do not think so. There used to be a lot of differences in terms of film making, in terms of they do the films before but now I think that everything is just interlinked and merged. Everybody is coming down to the south to get ideas and films and that is what we are also doing, the same thing, like taking ideas from Hindi. The basic thing is that the whole film industry is not just based on the language you speak or the state you are from but it’s very very open to any kind of good script and any kind of good filming that is happening.

Ratnesh Dwivedi: Why is it that any regional actor needs to be in Bollywood to be acknowledged at national level in India?

Ragini Dwivedi: I think this is a very simple thing. See Hindi is our national language. 80% of the country speaks Hindi and 60% of Southern Indians understand Hindi. So it makes it a more commonly understandable language in terms of feasibility. Every state wants Hindi but every state does not want say Kannada or Tamil or Telugu Films. Although in the film industry everybody is interdependent and interlinked but Bollywood is ultimate because it’s in Hindi. Its language is understood by the common man. Every state, every city you will find people who speak Hindi.

Ratnesh Dwivedi: Ragini, you are the only South Indian actress to have films title named after you. How do you feel about it?

Ragini Dwivedi: I feel extremely honored and privileged. I never expected in my life to have a film after my name and hats off to my producer and director who thought that I could carry on such a strong image and then it was all fantastic. I think it’s slightly difficult because when you are doing a normal commercial film you are there, you are just part of the film in terms of commercial value like songs and themes and its characterization but when you do a solo film you are the hero of the film. The complete film lies on your shoulders so the responsibility is so much that you have to be involved in every aspect of film making. I like this responsibility. I like doing solo films. I am really happy that I am getting to explore all the genres I am working with.

Ratnesh Dwivedi: You also have a fan club named after you. The second after actress Khushboo. How did you react to this?

Ragini Dwivedi: I think I did something really really good in the last few years (laughs) that I am blessed to have fan associations. I feel extremely humbled, I feel extremely honored as I mentioned that outsiders coming here are most creative and are having fan associations. This is a big achievement for any actress. This does not happen to 80% of actresses and if it is happening to me I think it is a huge honor that I have associations and people who really leave all their work and come to celebrate my birthday, look for the occasion, look for festivity. I think it’s a huge honor and I try to keep the good work as much as possible.

Ratnesh Dwivedi: For our international readers who read TUCK Magazine across the world, please tell us about your three films which are very close to you.

Ragini Dwivedi: My first film would be Ragini IPS which is a solo film because it’s named after me. Second would be ‘Kempe Gowda‘ and third..would be  …….oh god  ..it’s difficult to say…..So these two films are very close to my heart because these were the stepping stones at different phases of my life and career.

Ratnesh Dwivedi: Do you have any plans to play a lead role in Bollywood. If yes, then what projects are in the pipleline?

Ragini Dwivedi: I am extremely busy in South Indian Films doing my work and for me it’s never about the language. It’s always about the film so definitely I would love to do a Bollywood film. I would always want to do a film that is in the language of my relatives because nobody understands South Indian Languages .To begin with I think that would a be nice thing for them. Besides that I am North Indian and would love to do a film in my own language and yes, there are a lot of offers and there are a lot of interesting things happening that I am taking at my own pace. I am not in a hurry to go there and finish a film and come back. And I believe that if you do a film people remember that you did a film. I am waiting for that kind of film and am sure that will happen.

Ratnesh Dwivedi: It is widely believed that South Indian films are much better than Bollywood in terms of technology. What are your comments on this?

Ragini Dwivedi: It is 100% true because with the kind of films we see, the kind of technology we use, and kind of lighting and technique South Indian films have achieved, Bollywood is still getting used to it and still adopting it. In terms of technology, in terms of film making, in terms of communicating the story, I think they (South Indian Films) are far, far ahead.

Ratnesh Dwivedi: You have a jam packed schedule of shooting films. How do you allow time for yourself and your family?

Ragini Dwivedi: I am not a kind of page 3 person, I really do not go out so much….I do not socialize that much. I am very much deeply busy in my work from 9AM to 6PM. My work finishes at 6PM and I am cut off from the world completely. This time I spend with my friends, my family, my closed ones. I travel with my friends and my family. I love travel and making friends. After 6 I would be the person Ragini, not the actor Ragini and 9 to 6PM I would be the actor Ragini and not the simple Ragini. I always wanted to maintain this balance. If you work in this way you really do not go insane because there is always so much pressure of work all the time.

Ratnesh Dwivedi: And lastly any message you want to convey to the readers of TUCK Magazine which are varied in terms of their culture and language they speak across the globe.

Ragini Dwivedi: I think everybody should believe in themselves and in their work and everybody should work to his ability to keep the thing right. Because phases of life like ‘Good Phase’…’Bad Phase’ will always be there. Be strong and be happy about the fact that you have something I would love and which others do not have. God bless you.

Thank you Ragini for talking to TUCK Magazine.

Ragini Dwivedi

Ragini Dwivedi is an Indian film actress and model who appears in South Indian cinema, but primarily in Kannada cinema. She won the Richfeel Femina Miss Beautiful Hair award at the Pantaloons Femina Miss India contest. She made her entry to filmdom with Veera Madakari which won her the Suvarna Film Award for Best Debut Actress. She was recognized by fashion designers and as a model, she modelled for Lakme Fashion Week. Dwivedi made her acting debut with the Kannada film. Dwivedi’s first release of 2014 was a bilingual film known as Nimirndhu Nil in Tamil language.

Ratnesh Dwivedi

Ratnesh Dwivedi transferred his skills of the Media Industry into his passion for writing, teaching and commenting on Global Affairs. He has seen the changing face of global politics as a budding media professional who regularly commented on the changing equation between the U.S., Middle East and South Asia. Later he continued his association as an Analyst and Researcher on Global Politics through his association as Charter Member of the Bush Presidential Center,Texas.

Apart from his association with the Bush Center, Ratnesh Dwivedi is associated with several other organizations such as-ECREA-Brussels-Member, Institute of English Studies, University of London-Member, Mission Essential-Virginia-Member, Carnegie Council-Washington-Member, American Astronomical Society-Washington-Member, Internet Society-Virginia-Member, CSIS-PONI-Wshington-Member, RTDNA-Wshington-Member, NSTA-Virginia-Member. He has authoredfive books. The Story of an Intern-Reportage, The Cosmic Mask -Space Fiction. Third and fourth are awarded academic books. His fifth book on US Intelligence and Cost of War is released world wide on November 7,2015. Ratnesh Dwivedi bears the honor of attending several high rated workshops of NASA and continuously follows NASA updates since 2003.

He has been associated with Amity University, where he led a project to set up Community Radio Station and TV Studio apart from his teaching assignment. He is a widely published academician in the field of Media and Communication with nearly 30 publications and presentation in countries like Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Germany, Slovinia, Czech, Britain, USA, Norway and India with nearly 10000 downloads, which itself is a record.

He is Asst. Professor of Journalism at Teerthankar Mahaveer University in India.He is Consultant with EEUA, Moscow and a NJ, USA based Energy Firm. He is on Board of Directors and serves as VP-Global Media Marketing with Transitional Assistance, USA, which works for veterans of US Army. He lives in New Delhi with his wife and son.