Exclusive! "777 Charlie is a divine gift to me, I think I have come a full circle as a human being," says Rakshit Shetty

Actor Rakshit Shetty is only days away from making his return to the big screen. It's taken him and the whole team of '777 Charlie' three odd years to bring the film to life and just as with its characters, each of them has experienced something cathartic in the course. The countdown has surely begun for the release (June 10) with great gusto but for Rakshit Shetty, who also produces the film, this particular phase of promotions is tricky and also emotionally challenging. By his own admission, he is a reticent man in real life and isn't particularly fond of being in the public eye unless warranted by something very important. He is also aware of the irony that runs in parallel - of wanting to be the best and most creative in his chosen field and also being too coy about the attention he gets - but the past couple of years have been an interesting journey for him nevertheless.

"This is that final leg of the marathon," he says, unwittingly referring to the promotional phase with a rather intense metaphor. There is also the slight extra burden of carrying his Sapta Sagaradaache Ello look - the one with the buzz cut, heavier physique, and a thick beard - that has caused more eyes to fall on him in curiosity. However, Rakshit seems braced in his own comfortable ways for the promotional tour.

"I would prefer to do away with all the promotion stuff and simply focus on my projects. Maybe just finish one film, get on to the second one, and release the film whenever I feel like - and watch the film straight in the theatre first day, first show. But I understand that it is also a responsibility because I have invested so much money in this case and if I want to continue making the kind of films I want to, then this performance will matter a great deal," he shares.

At a recent press gathering, Rakshit Shetty spoke with great candor about the emotional bearing of the film and how, especially for director Kiranraj K., the story of Dharma and Charlie is highly personal. Rakshit also said that despite being a writer, he couldn't come up with a story that brims with such intense emotions, and yet, his own experiences as an actor and producer have been nothing less than fulfilling. His character in the film, Dharma, encounters a strange companion in Charlie (the dog) to then beckon a journey that's spiritually enriching and strangely, Rakshit too went through similar motions alongside.

Rakshit Shetty: I am a writer and director, but I could never write an emotional subject like 777 Charlie 

"Over the course of the making, I began to relate to Dharma on a deep and personal level. I am a complete introvert myself, I prefer zero interactions with people if not necessary - in fact, I don't know my neighbors because I prefer to remain in my cocoon. So, Dharma's journey in the story coincided with the one I was personally going through at the time of the shoot. The pandemic gave me that opportunity to look inward and ask myself a lot of questions: you know, stuff like why am I programmed a certain way since childhood and what it would take to deprogram myself. For instance, the idea of being discomforted with promotions and public attention meant that I am not very comfortable with my own fame which is a strange thing. I mean, the whole world appreciates these aspects but I am not able to so it was time to look within and ask a few tough questions - wanting to know why I am designed that way. So, the past year or two have been helpful in finding those answers about me, and now that we are counting down to the release, it is time to implement everything I have learned. It took a lot of effort when I started but I am slowly beginning to experience the good stuff and understand myself better".

"And that is perhaps why I refer to '777 Charlie' as a divine gift because it gave me the opportunity to explore myself. I said yes to acting in this film because I wanted to be part of a good film but hadn't yet forged a spiritual connection with the character or his world. Sure, the film took a lot of time to be made but I needed was exploring myself too - these past three years have been tremendously useful and fulfilling to me and I feel I have come a full circle with this film - my second innings should start after this," adds an emotional Rakshit Shetty.