Movie Star Alert! Sendhil Ramamurthy in "Brahmin Bulls" at Pelham Picture House

Local resident Sendhil Ramamurthy of Heroes fame will air his film Brahmin Bulls and lead a Q & A after the show on Thursday, January 22 at 7:30 pm. Starring Sendhil Ramamurthy and Roshan Seth, Brahmin Bulls follows the complicated, interesting lives of a father (Seth) and grown son (Ramamurthy) as they attempt to rebuild their damaged relationship and mend their own personal lives.

Eva Nagorski, a writer and producer who suggested the film showing to Pelham Picture House said, "I think it's important to support independent movies given how hard it is to make them and, in particular, distribute them. But that's far from the only reason I'm supporting Brahmin Bulls. It's a great film, Sendhil puts on a terrific performance, and it's a creative accomplishment overall for a first-time director." She added, "Pelham Picture House is a venue that not only supports independent films, but draws audiences from all over the area who appreciate them."

Sendhil was gracious enough to meet me one morning in Scarsdale to be interviewed for Scarsdale10583.com. Only after he had left did several people at the café come up to me and ask how I got to hang out with "The 'Heroes' guy."

What made you want to play the character of Sid in Brahim Bulls?

The role of Sid was written for me. The director, Mahesh Pailoor, and I worked together on the first role I ever booked out of drama school, a short film. He was still a film student. I auditioned for him, got the role, and we shot this ten-minute, visually stunning black and white short film. We got along well. Fifteen years later, all of the people who were a part of this short film got together for Brahmin Bulls. I was shooting Heroes at the time in Los Angeles and Mahesh called to tell me that he was at the American Film Institute now and wanted to do a film. He wrote the script, we raised funds for two years, and then we shot it for 21 days in Los Angeles. I'm an avid tennis player and I love that we used tennis in the movie because it served as the perfect metaphor. Playing Sid was a welcomed challenge. My character is in his thirties but acts like a teenager- he's completely rudderless. I'm the opposite of that in real life; I'm goal-oriented and I know exactly what I want. I enjoyed the quiet parts of the movie where all the acting had to be done through the eyes or with sighs and small movements. It's different from television where you have 42 minutes to tell the story because the remaining 18 are filled with commercials; there's no time for silence in television. In television you have deadlines because episodes are already ordered and paid for and there's timing involved as far as when shows need to air; but in Brahmin Bulls, having time to really work on a scene was really appealing to me and appeals to audiences.

How was it different for you to star in a movie as well as produce it?

I enjoyed being involved in producing this film, although after production is when I became more involved- getting screenings arranged and doing festival submissions. While shooting the film, I focused on my character and my acting. I'd love to continue producing from the ground up, like deciding how the money is spent, who's hired, etc. You don't really get that in television, even if you're the star of the show. You say your lines and you try not to bump into furniture. The chance to do something different really attracted me to this film and film in general. There was a learning curve. We made mistakes but we learned from them and next time we'll just make fewer mistakes. Or at least not the same mistakes.

How does Brahmin Bulls build an audience?

Marketing funds are limited, so we've done theatrical releases in several major cities in the U.S. and then it will go to video on demand. Word of mouth has been the best promotional tool. The New York Times gave Brahmin Bulls a favorable review and screenings like this one at Pelham Picture House really help get the word out as well. The film is a true grassroots effort, a total labor of love. None of us will likely make any money off of it. The movie is about people connecting (or not connecting); it's about relationships. This theme seems to have really appealed to audiences around the nation.

What's the most challenging part of being an actor?

The rejection. You can be rejected on a daily basis if not more. The uncertainty is the hardest thing to deal with. It doesn't always matter how good of an actor you are, there are always other factors out of your control. I just have the mindset that I enter every audition or taping knowing that I'm prepared and giving it my best shot and I try to let go of the rest. I do tend to micromanage the audition or scene I shot after it's done when I can't do anything about it and I think I will always do that. This is common even among the most esteemed actors.
Some people think that if you have a big role on a TV series for a while you can just walk into your next job. It doesn't often work that way. You have to reinvent yourself after every gig. You may get offers to do the same genre again, but if I wanted to do the same thing every day I would have chosen a different career.

To what or whom do you attribute your success?

I don't think I'm the greatest actor and I won't ever say that, but I can say that I'm one of the hardest working actors and that has helped with my success. I've been very lucky. I shoot for nine or ten months of the year and I haven't shot anything in New York in almost five years. It can be hard since New York is where my home and family are. Having an anchor- my wife and my kids- helps with my success a lot. The longest I can ever be away from my family is two weeks. I need a sense of normalcy, and that's what my family is for me.

What are your plans now?

I'm in the middle of shooting a film called Momentary Lapse of Reason. I'm reading a bunch of manuscripts because pilot season is starting. I'd love to do more comedy. I did a stint on The Office and I filmed a romantic comedy, but I always seem to be the straight guy while everyone else around me is scripted to be funny. I'd love to be a series regular on a comedy show.

See Sendhil's only local showing of Brahmin Bulls this Thursday, January 22nd at 7:30 PM at Pelham Picture House. You'll even be lucky enough to hear a Huffington Post-moderated Q&A afterwards. Purchase tickets ahead of time here andclick here to watch a preview.  Brahmin Bulls runs for 96 minutes, is rated PG, and also stars Academy Award winner Mary Steenburgen, Justin Bartha, and Academy Award nominated actor Michael Lerner.