Science graduate to 'Rocketry' poster designer: Anoop Reghupathi's inspirational journey
A gifted artist and designer, Anoop Reghupathi is currently basking in the glory of Rocketry: The Nambi Effect. The film, written, produced, and directed by R Madhavan, hit theaters on July 1 and is being hailed for casting the spotlight on the hitherto unknown story of ex-ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan. What is Reghupathi's connection to Rocketry? He is the brain behind its stirring posters!
Reghupathi has a degree in Physics
Reghupati was born in Kottanellur, a small village in Thrissur, Kerala. As is the prevalent norm in India, Reghupati's parents wanted him to tread on the "safe" path of pursuing a science degree. Naturally, he obliged and secured a degree in physics. However, his true calling was always art and design; despite majoring in a different subject, he never lost sight of his goal.
His first film break was 'Salt Mango Tree'
Pursuing a conventional path did not batter Reghupathi's spirits. While working in Bengaluru, he tenaciously began looking for projects to fuel his artistic inclination. Initially, he was busy designing projects for small firms but later connected with Malayalam filmmaker Shajoon Kariyal on social media. This was a turning point and accorded Reghupathi the opportunity to be a title designer for Salt Mango Tree (2015).
Reghupathi's friend Bijith Bala was an editor on 'Rocketry'
Even though Reghupati had focused his energy on small projects, his dreams were bigger and his ambition was to clinch a project that would establish him further as a designer. As luck would have it, Rocketry finally came along! Bijith Bala, the film's editor, happens to be Reghupathi's friend. He recommended him for Madhavan's magnum opus and even sent him the actor-director's contact details.
'Madhavan would provide me with immediate feedback'
Reghupathi is all praises for the multitalented star Madhavan, who he has described as "cool" and "friendly." "During his hectic schedule, he would provide me with immediate feedback. He is a wonderful human being who is down to earth," Reghupati told The Hans India. He also revealed that the title design curated by him coincided well with Madhavan's overall vision and artistic approach.
Reghupathi spilled beans on famous thumbprint poster, too
After cracking the code of the title poster, Reghupathi progressed to work on the other poster designs. One of the most widely praised designs shows Madhavan's face embedded in a golden-red thumbprint. Divulging details about how he sketched this idea, Reghupathi said, "A human being's biggest identity is his or her thumbprint... I wanted to integrate Nambi's face and create a burning impression."
Beyond 'Rocketry: The Nambi Effect'
Besides Rocketry and Salt Mango Tree, Reghupathi's credits include his work as a graphic designer on Kalyanam (2018) and title designer for Dreaming of Words (2021), per IMDb. One can also dive deeper into his work and designs on his website ardesignfactory.com. The website also includes impressive testimonials from several professionals, including Madhavan, film producer Vijay Moolan, and film editor Shando Uruvath, among others.
