Rajeev Ravindranathan delves into the emotional core of his new film Boundaries
The spirit of women’s cricket and all emotions associated with it have gained their much-deserved prominence far and wide. The sport has also often found itself as a subject on screen numerous times, sometimes to tell the stories of legends and sometimes to become a symbol of challenge and rebellion. But upcoming film, Boundaries, directed by Kirandeep Karnati, takes its impact to Mountain House, California and to a group of women who find their home and their true selves on the pitch!
Rajeev Ravindranathan talks to us about Boundaries
From the film’s Bay Area-based cinematographer (Unni Ravindranathan’s Visual Narrative Film), the film also features Bengaluru talent Rajeev Ravindranathan, who’s already struck a chord with his performances in films like 3 Idiots, Rocketry, English Vinglish and many more! With the film’s trailer gaining steady traction on YouTube and its plot making a buzz, we chat with Rajeev about what to expect from it thematically, how his role in it is a standout amidst his previous performances and lots more.
From Bengaluru to California: Rajeev Ravindranathan's role in 'Boundaries'
How did you get involved with Boundaries?
I’ve stayed off the movies for a bit. We’ve had some personal upheavals in the family, so I’ve stayed away from things. And then Boundaries came to me in late 2024, through my cousin (Unni), who makes short films and ads in the US. So, he went in to the office one day and they were trying to cast the sutradhar (narrator) for the film. My character is a sutradhar who strings the story along and is a catalyst of sorts. They were trying to cast someone, in his words, ‘with a known face,’ to give the film a little bit of heft. And he goes into the office and sees my face on the board along with a couple of actors and he’s like, ‘I know him!’ He called me and said: you know, they’re filming in California and I didn’t even let him go to the next sentence. I said, ‘Yes. Who doesn’t want to go to California to make a film!’
How does Boundaries act as an honest reflection of the life of women in the Indian diaspora within Mountain House, California?
It is almost documentary-like! In each of these — what they call, gated communities — those are like five to 10x bigger than the ones we have here in Bengaluru — they have six or seven teams. And the Indian diaspora, plus a couple of locals and people from other nationalities, have come together and formed teams. And every weekend, leagues are being played — men’s, children’s and women’s. And when I say ‘league,’ I mean they’ve got team names, jerseys and even logos! And it is not financial. It’s just about the passion of the sport and bringing people together. And that’s what they do on the weekend: they practice during the week and play during the weekend. So, when I read the story, I thought, ‘Wow! Very sweet! I can see Chak De India, and Bend it like Beckham. But to go there and see that the director actually observed his wife, a cricketer. So, he’s watched her balance out home, a small business and everything else and still finding time to play cricket. That’s where the inspiration for the movie came from. It was very different to be on a set where the outcome everyone was working towards was to make a nice film.
And how would you place Ravikant, your character, among the others you’ve played?
I think this fellow is one of the more unhinged characters. In that sense, he’s a total nut. I mean, he’s a complete hustler. And inadvertently, he sparks up this whole adventure among the women to set up this team. He’s got a business solution for every single thing. I think he’ll be a very likeable fellow. But for me, it was more important that he seamlessly blend into the film. I’m just there to sort of punctuate these moments and push the film along.
A performance in particular that stood out to you?
I’ll tell you straight away, the 11 women are stunning. Since it’s centred around them, each of them has been stunning, actually. And the great thing is, none of them know cricket. So you’ll see a very truthful depiction of people who don’t know the first thing about cricket, somehow managing to form a team and play.