Rajath Rajanikanth: The director behind the bootstrapped film that won big at Cannes World Film Festival

(March 27, 2024) The screen bursts to life as a team of agents clad in all black with guns in hand chase through a forest looking for Axel Chase, a survivor, who attains special skills from a failed medical experiment, who has gone rogue. Soon the camera pans to the start of a cat-and-mouse game with high octane action sequences, incredible cinematography and compelling storyline that keeps the audience hooked for the next 37 minutes. The Survivor – a perfect blend of action and premise – directed by Rajath Rajanikanth – has found praise from all quarters, including Rome Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and Cannes World Film Festival, where it won the Best Action film.

Having made the film with the objective of a YouTube release, Bengaluru-based Rajath Rajanikanth had never thought that his featurette The Survivor would bag not one but two awards at the Cannes World Film Festival 2023. It was curiosity that led him to submit his entry to international film festivals. “I wanted to see where this will lead to.” But seeing his low-budget competing with 200 other contenders who had spent thousands of dollars, he felt a little uneasy. However, his doubts vanished the moment his film was declared the winner in the action genre. “I felt like I have done something right. With the budget constraint, I had to look for creative ways to shoot the film, keeping in mind its essence,” he tells Global Indian, adding, “I felt validated. My gamble on my team, myself and my idea turned out right.”

The 26-year-old had submitted his film in the action category but was surprised to receive a second mail from Cannes Film Festival, announcing The Survivor‘s win in the Best Trailer category. “I had not won one but two awards in the same film festival, especially when I hadn’t even submitted the trailer,” reveals Rajath, who also the won Best Actor award at the Rome International Movie Awards.

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With constant delays in releasing his film on OTT and obtaining censor certificates, Rajath found solace in applying for film festivals. “It came at the right time. With the wins, came a sense of fulfilment. The doubt that kept gnawing at me finally vanished.” However, Rajath is in for a longer game – to establish himself as an actor. “My end goal wasn’t to win at Cannes, but it happened and I am grateful for it. It has given me hope and faith to continue working in the right direction.” He has proved that one doesn’t need a big budget or star cast to make it big, at times creativity and hard work is enough to make heads turn.

Rajath Rajanikanth

A love for the movies

Growing up with a movie buff father who had amassed a huge collection of DVDs, Rajath was enamoured by the cupboards filled with CDs, VCDs and DVDs at his home. For the family, weekends meant watching films together. “I was fascinated by the making of the films. Back then, most DVDs came with a bonus feature – the making of the film. I would spend hours watching it. This was my first tryst with learning.” However, the serious pull towards becoming an actor came around the release of Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Don 2. “I loved the film for its action and cool factor. Back then, after watching every film at theatre, I’d return home to recreate the scenes with my toys,” he laughs.

But coming from a family of engineers, Rajath took up electrical engineering at SVIT only to drop out after the first year. He then joined a bachelors in filmmaking at St Joseph’s University in Bengaluru to hone his skills. Those years shaped him. “I learnt cinematography, editing and direction, and met like-minded people who were passionate about cinema.” Hungry to learn more, he turned to YouTube for improving his skillset. “I realised I needed more than just a degree and started working on my portfolio.”

The making of the passion project

After graduating in 2019, he shifted to Mumbai to learn acting. Upon his return to Bengaluru, he was welcomed by the lockdown. To keep himself occupied, he made a homage video to hit series Money Heist which gained attention from the makers of the series. This prompted him to take on his next project – The Survivor. “The idea came from the way the world was functioning at that time. Plus, I was always fascinated by action genre, so I began writing the script.”

A still from The Survivor

Made on a tight budget, the film’s crew was a mix of Rajath’s friends and acquaintances who were curious and passionate. “I had nothing to offer to them apart from the experience of filmmaking, and they grabbed the opportunity to challenge themselves.” Through shared goal and mutual support, they were able to put their skills to best use.

Despite having an interest in acting, Rajath learnt to take on most of the responsibilities due to budget constraint. “I made the film in ₹90,000, which costs less than an expensive iPhone. So, I was the actor, director, editor and scriptwriter,” says the young filmmaker, who finished the film’s production in eight months. “Since I wasn’t paying anyone, people came and worked when their schedules allowed.” The next four months went into editing and sound designing. “I edited the film because it would take a lot of energy to make someone else understand your vision. Since it’s an action film, the film had to look crisper and realistic.” Interestingly, Rajath had written the script keeping in mind the editing.

Despite being shot in and around Bengaluru, The Survivor doesn’t look like a regular Indian film due to its pace and narrative. “I tried to make it in a way that it can fit any location, irrespective of nationality. That’s why we made the film in English, and it was later dubbed in Hindi and Kannada.”

Learning on the go

Moreover, he shot the entire action film without any stunt director on board. Growing up on a rich diet of action films, this was right up his alley. “I knew how the punch and block works to make the shot look aesthetic. With that knowledge, I choreographed the action scenes. Also, I revisited a couple of action films to see what kind of action I can incorporate but giving it my twist.”

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During the making of the film, he understood that passion and necessity are the two cornerstones in life, and this film provided him both. “I was so passionate that I didn’t even realise how the 10 months passed by as every day I was shooting or editing. Moreover, I didn’t know sound designing or editing but it was necessary for the film so I had to learn. I had no other choice, and in the process I fell in love with the learning experience.”

The long haul

But bringing the film to the people turned out to be a tedious process and a long journey of one and a half years of waiting. Getting to release in on OTT was a long haul. But it was his maternal grandfather’s death in 2022 that nudged him to take action. “He was my biggest cheerleader and he loved the film. It felt I couldn’t make him see the film on OTT.” That pushed Rajath for a trailer release of his 37-minute film. “The motive behind the film wasn’t to make money, we are still not making money. But to pitch myself to the people in the film industry.” With the film now available on Jio Cinema and making waves at the international film festivals, he is stepping an inch closer to his dream of making big in the world of cinema. “Getting your films screened at the film festivals gives you validation. Also, it creates a sense of perception as an authority as big as these [film festivals] on world cinema is recognising your film, it attracts more people towards it,” says Rajath, who is happy that with success of RRR at international awards, people have started accepting different styles of cinema. “It wasn’t the case earlier.”

Rajath, who calls himself an actor before a director, is keen to grow his career as an actor. “I learnt everything and made the film just to put myself out as an actor,” he signs off.

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