A poster of Prawaal Raman’s new film 404. Telegraph picture

Jamshedpur, May 12: This Jamshedpur boy likes to explore the dark side for the lighted screen just like mentor Ram Gopal Varma.

Bollywood director and Loyola School alumnus Prawaal Raman (35) is awaiting his fourth release on May 20, a “paranormal psychological thriller” as he calls it, titled 404.

Starring Imaad Shah, Satish Kaushik, Nishikanth Kamat, Rajvvir Aroraa, Tisca Chopra and Lawrence Postma, the film takes its title from the unfound error code on Internet that signifies a wrong page.

Prawaal, who debuted with Darna Mana Hai in 2003, directed Gayab (2004) and one of the stories in Darna Zaroori Hai (2006), also wrote the script for Darling, directed by Ram Gopal Verma in 2007.

His latest offering, produced by Apca News and Entertainment and Magik Media is set in a medical hub. It is an intriguing take on a professor, played by Kamath, who believes only in science and a bright student played by Aroraa battling illusion and reality.

“Characters here find themselves on the wrong page of life. The title germinated from this idea,” said Prawaal on phone from Mumbai.

Prawaal left his Sonari home to pursue geography honours at Kirorimal College, New Delhi. His tenure at the Tagore School of Fine Arts in the city came in use in Delhi, as he painted and sold portraits for some handy cash. But somewhere he started feeling that filmmaker in him was getting “suppressed”.

“So I went ahead with a post-graduation in film direction and production from St Xavier’s College, Mumbai,” he said of his life-altering decision.

He reasons it out too. “As a painter, I felt felt it would have been better if paintings could move. I worked with Imtiaz Ali and got a break assisting Ram Gopal Verma in films like Shool, Jungle and Company.”

Up next for the Jamshedpur boy is a film on the city. “I’m nostalgic about my beautiful hometown,” he said.