Raghu Ram on ‘Good, Bad, Ugly’, working with Ajith Kumar and Adhik Ravichandran

Roadies star Raghu Ram opens up about his love for Tamil films, working with Ajith, and his latest role in ‘Good, Bad, Ugly’

Raghu Ram is waiting for the release of his upcoming film – Adhik Ravichandran’s Good, Bad, Ugly – starring Ajith Kumar. His previous Tamil film, Doctor (2021), starring Sivakarthikeyan, was acclaimed as well as successful. But it was released during the pandemic-induced lockdowns. So, Raghu could not be a part of the promotions or watch it in Chennai. This time, it is a bigger project. So, Raghu is waiting to experience the fanfare in Chennai with his wife Natalie Di Luccio, who has sung in Kadal and I. 

Raghu made his name as a television producer and host with popular reality shows like Roadies, Splitsvilla, and Indian Idol. His first film was Abbas Tyrewala’s Jhootha Hi Sahi. Of late, he has begun embracing acting as more than just a side gig.

“I think about three years ago, I was going through a transition in my mindset,” he says, over a call, “I was becoming more fascinated with fiction and other aspects of creativity.” It was around this time that Keedaa Cola, a Telugu film directed by Tharun Bhascker, came his way, giving him the sense of direction he had been seeking. Since then, he has taken on a variety of roles across multiple industries, culminating in his upcoming Tamil venture.

Raghu’s filmography spans multiple languages — Hindi, Punjabi, Telugu, and now Tamil — but it is the southern industries that have intrigued him the most. “I really enjoyed working in the South a lot more,” he admits, “So, I was like, okay, we’ll do this now. I’m an actor now.” His background gives him a unique connection to Tamil cinema. Though he primarily lived in Mumbai and Delhi, he grew up in a Telugu household while attending a school run by a Tamil management. “For me, Tamil is not a foreign language. I don’t see myself as a random North Indian being cast in a Tamil film,” he says.

One of the biggest draws of Good, Bad, Ugly for Raghu was the chance to work with Ajith Kumar. “All I can tell you about my character is that it’s nothing like the one in Doctor. That’s one of the reasons it appealed to me — it’s very different from anything I’ve done,” he says. “But personally, what drew me to this is that it’s an Ajith Kumar film, a Mythri production, and it’s by Adhik. All three aspects are very appealing because I really wanted to do another Tamil film.”

His experience working with Ajith was both enlightening and amusing. Used to the informal industry culture of Mumbai, Raghu found himself in a peculiar situation when addressing the star. “In Mumbai and Delhi, when I started out at 20 years old, I was trained to call all my colleagues by their names. But down South, it can be seen as disrespectful.” Ajith, however, was happy with the informality. “When I met Ajith Kumar, he said, ‘Hi, Raghu,’ and I asked him, ‘Is it okay if I call you Ajith?’ He said, ‘Yeah, sure, man, I would love that.’ But whenever I called him Ajith, the set would go silent. People would stop what they were doing and look at us.” Eventually, he relented and started calling him “Ajith sir” for the comfort of the crew.

But what truly struck him about Ajith was his larger-than-life persona. “I started getting a little in awe of him when I realised that he was driving his own racing car. It’s like Bruce Wayne is so rich that he could hire someone to be Batman, but he chooses to be Batman himself.” Beyond his stardom, Ajith’s outlook towards life resonated deeply with Raghu. “The biggest thing I picked up from him is to not let societal expectations limit or define you. He doesn’t need to prove anything — he just is.”