‘With Bhuvanam Gaganam, we are set to win over your hearts in more ways than one’

Valentine’s Day is almost here, there’s love in the air and there’s a lot more of it on screen this Friday, as yet another love story – Bhuvanam Gaganam gears up to hit the screens. “I decided to become a film producer after listening to the story as I found it to be one that I had never heard before,” says the film’s producer Munne Gowda, who accompanied his lead cast Pramod, Rachel David and Aswathi to the Bangalore Times office for a heart-warming chat about the film and their journey so far. Read on, and watch the full interview on our channel:
On acting in Bhuvanam Gaganam:
Pramod: I’ve been playing characters that required me to be rugged, but, I wanted to do something soft and meaningful, which was also commercially viable. They say that when God gives you something, he gives it in full force. I got everything I wanted with this film. There is love, depth, emotions, action – so much so that when you step out of the theatres after watching the film, you are bound to feel both warm and heavy. Not many stories make you experience so many emotions all at once. I was in tears when I watched the movie myself. I am looking forward to seeing our audience experience that.
Rachel David: My role was not just about a girl who loves the hero. The role was about Nandini, and her journey from that of a young girl, to a mother. I felt like I had so much to prove in terms of my performances. Also, I don’t want to be that stereotypical actor who only does love stories. The director has written the dialogues very well. I think that is what a love story needs, because it is not just about what you see visually, it is about what you hear as well, and the dialogues here have depth. For a love story, the music is as important as the story and the music here really connects. Moreover, this is a story about love – not only between a girl and a boy, but love between a mother and her child, between brothers, between a father and son. Love is so universal, there is also love for nature – even the title of the film Bhuvanam Gaganam suggests that there is no sky without earth and the other way around. We are so codependent on each other and that is what love does to you. And we had all of this with a strong team to back this film.
Aswathi: Movies happened to me very unexpectedly. I was a badminton player for over 10 years. I was number 2 in Karnataka, too. During COVID, I started putting out content on Tik Tok – back then I had gained some five lakh followers, but the platform got banned in India. Then, I started putting out content on Instagram. I now have close to 2 million followers. Film offers followed and I am going with the flow. I have been signed on for more films, including an appearance in Ayogya 2. I am now enjoying the process of being in the movies. As for Bhuvanam Gaganam, I feel the director has written each of the characters so well. I especially love Pruthvi Ambaar’s character.
On starting off as actors with no filmi backing:
Pramod: I had this interest to act as a kid, but I had never expressed those dreams as I felt I might be ridiculed. It was only during the last semester of BSc that I decided to be an actor. The struggle began from then on – I would go to any location where I saw a generator van, as I knew there was some shooting going on there. I’d wait for hours outside, hoping to be able to talk to someone on the set, give my portfolio and hope for the best. Here, rejection is common. Without a film family or personality backing you, it is very difficult. I’m not saying star kids have it easy, it is difficult for them too – but they at least have an access to a starting point. We don’t have that, we start from scratch. In this aspect, I have always admired Yash who is a big inspiration for people like us. As actors, being emotionally rooted is good, but we may not get too far if we continue to think and be emotional about everything. We also need to be practical, and business minded. Those who have balanced it all out are the ones who have got to some place today.
Director Milana Prakash was the first one to cast me in a TV show. I continued doing shows, theatre and then finally got my first film Geeta Bangle Stores. That film was released in 2015. Today, after 10 years, I am still here. Some great roles in Premiere Padmini and Rathnan Prapancha help cement my space in the film industry. I think every little thing I have done so far has really helped me grow, step by step. Today, I have a role in what I could call a launch in Telugu cinema alongside Akhil Akkineni in the pipeline. And in Kannada, we will announce a big project this Ugadi.
Rachel David: The film industry is very brutal. You have to go through the worst to actually come here, be calm, put a smile on your face and say I am sitting here today after going through all that because I believe I am worth it. There are so many things that happen on a set – both good and bad. But I believe that if you are here to stay, you have to have perseverance. You have to have overcome all of that, you can’t be emotional about things. You have to be thick-skinned.
There are a lot of things that if I had not gone through that, I would not be sitting here today. I relate to what Pramod said about rejections. I have been on a movie set, signed a contract and three days later, they said I was not part of the film. All I did that day was just cry. You are not even in a place to be composed or gather your thoughts or even confront them because your world is shattered. It was my first film in Malayalam that taught me so much the hard way. It was a big production, with a big director, a big actor and one day before the release, people told me that I would become the next big thing out there and I believed that. I got myself a fancy number and was all ready for a new life. But the film flopped. I was set to sign three other films, but that did not happen. In fact, I did not get a single call from a film team for a year.
I come from a background where there are no film personalities. I am just some girl who saw an audition call on Facebook, applied and happened to get that film. I am still learning, along the way. But today, because of what I have gone through, if I get rejected, or if a film I am part of gets rejected, I am okay with it. Because if I had not gone through all of that I feel like I would have been a completely different person. I would have been on a different journey. I am pretty sure I would have been in a league where I would not have treated myself and others with respect or that humbleness that I do today. I am so grateful for that, and I have zero regrets. Eventually, Love Mocktail happened, and I received so much love that I did not know what to do with it. Even now, I don’t know how to come to terms with how I have seen success too, after having seen failure.
Aswathi: As someone who has been in the limelight because of social media, I feel one should have a little spark that sets you apart from the others. While film offers did come my way earlier, the transition has not been as easy as it seems. Two years ago, I got called for a role in a Vijay Sethupathi fil. But back then, I was a bit overweight, and because of that I missed that opportunity. I have worked on myself now and lost over 10 kilos. Today, I am happy with the work that is coming my way. I also earn from my content on social media. I feel that if there is so much appreciation, and people who love seeing your content, one should make the most of it. Social media has given me a lot of love and I thoroughly enjoy it.
It was not part of my plan or intention to become a film producer. However, when I heard this story, I felt it was a film that had to be made. This is my first production and as a newcomer, it is difficult of course. But with this experience, I plan to do more films and be able to provide opportunities to newcomers
-Munne Gowda, producer