/> Ravi Rai, elder brother of the Raanjhanaa director Aanand Rai, changed the way we look at the home-viewing medium. His serials, notably Sailaab, Thoda Hai Thode Ki Zaroorat Hai and Sparsh were path-finders on Indian television. For the past ten years Ravi has been a recluse, trying to rediscover his bearings on the large-screen,

Ravi is finally ready with his feature film, an autobiographical film on male-bonding oddly entitled Maya Vanilla and Strawberries.

When I catch up with him on Sunday morning Ravi is calm and contained. `Where have I been? I've been trying to find a centre to my life. When I was doing television there was scope for much innovation. That is why we could do something as path-breaking as Sailaab.

But now I feel Indian television has reached point of stagnancy. Everyone is doing the same thing. Big revenue is involved and no one is willing to risks. If I ever do television again it would have to be something that would make my audience think about the quality of our life. `


Cinema, feels Ravi, is going through a ferociously fertile phase. `Movies are talking about sperms (Vicky Donor) and sex. In the recent release Sixteen the attitude of the youngsters is, 'I want to f. . . k so what?'

I think our cinema has discovered a new freedom. And it's still trying to find out what to do with that freedom. In the meanwhile a director like my brother Aanand is able to express himself exactly the way he wants to in his cinema. `

Ravi is very proud and happy about his brother's success. The two brothers are very close to one another. `We live five minutes' distance away from one another and we work out of the same office.

I always knew he had it in him. When Aanand made Tanu Weds Manu I was thrilled. His female protagonist Kangna Ranaut was unlike any heroine I had seen. She drank and she was frank. She was foul-mouthed and fearless.

Ussko jo dil mein aata who bolti aur karti. This is the kind of freedom I wanted my female characters to have in my television serials. Now hopefully I'll find a similar freedom in my movies. `


Ravi's feature film which is ready for release is based on his own life. `Every student and youngster has his own Chashme Buddoor to recount. In my younger days I too had my bum chums in Delhi. They continue to be my friends to this day. They are Raju Kher (Anupam Kher's brother) and Deepak Sinha. `

In Maaya Vanilla & Strawberries Namit Das and Aman Uppal play Ravi's pals while Ali Faizal (the young guitar-playing actor from Fukrey) plays Ravi Rai.

Says Ravi, `It's an autobiographical film. Ali Fazal plays my character. I first wanted to make a vigilante film entitled Sorry Mr Gandhi, I Have To Kill Them. It's about 50 youngsters getting together to kill 5 of the most corrupt politicians of the country. It's a very controversial subject. I'll come to that after Maaya Vanilla & Strawberries. `

After the success off Bhaag Milkha Bhaag Ravi Rai too is ready with a script based on a sport. His script for Main Manjula Parmar is the story of a girl from the interiors of Rajasthan who becomes a basketball champion and represents India at the Asian Games.


Says Ravi, `With these films I hope to break the mould in the same way that I did on television. The good thing is, my brother Aanand's success gives me a certain freedom. He can ask distributors to see my films and they will. That's it. After that I'm on my own. `