MUMBAI: Ram Gopal Varma has signed actor Vivek Oberoi to play the lead role in his upcoming movie Rakta Charitra, which is based on the life of Paritala Ravi.

Varma says, "After thinking hard on every actor both known and unknown I have finally zeroed in on Vivek Oberoi as the most ideal choice to play Paritala Ravi. He has remarkable intensity in his eyes, which I noticed in the making of Company, a voice which commands attention, an arrogance in his demeanour, an enormous power in his stance, and also a certain vulnerability which makes one instantly warm up to him, which is what is needed to fit in a role of Paritala Ravi’s profile."

"After a rough look-test done and when I saw the approximation of how Vivek could look like in different phases of Ravi’s life, from being a rebel in the jungles to a political strong-arm man, I was absolutely convinced that my search ended," he adds.

As was reported by Businessofcinema.com earlier, the five hour long movie will be released  in two parts with a gap of three months.