Naveen Chandra's drastic makeover move

Actor Naveen Chandra of Andala Rakshasi fame has undergone a complete transformation in the recently released Nenu Local. The actor, who generally sports a beard, has worked on gaining a fitter body and has also put on weight. “When the story was narrated to me, I decided that I wanted to look completely different,” says Naveen Chandra. It was then that he hit the gym. “I only had one-and-a-half-months time, so I went to my trainer and told him that I have to look different for the role. I had a strict exercise regimen with an even stricter diet. In the end, I put on six kilos,” he reveals.

Since the actor didn’t want to reveal his look to anyone, he confined himself to the gym and his house. “I wanted to maintain the secrecy of my look, so I decided not to go out,” he says. The actor also says that no one recognised him on the first day of the shoot, sans his beard. “Actor Nani, who is my best friend, just walked past me as he had no clue that I had undergone a complete makeover. It was only when my assistants told everyone about my transformation, that he came and congratulated me on the change,” says Naveen Chandra.

“This film was a big opportunity for me and I didn’t want to lose it. I decided to work hard and it paid off. It’s really good to work with successful people like Nani, Keerthi Suresh, Dil Raju and director Trinadh,” he says. Naveen adds that he is now getting several offers to play a cop. “I am open to playing a villain, but the role should be prominent and should excite me. I am now choosy about my films as I don’t want to repeat the same mistakes that I made earlier,” says Naveen. Right now, the actor is working on an action-love story.