Using their names is like asking for dowry: Sudheer Babu

Sudheer Babu is emotional-yet-confident about his upcoming film Sammohanam. Speaking highly of its director Indraganti Mohan Krishna, he says that he is willing to do a 100 films with him. “Every actor should do at least one film with Indraganti,” he says.

Talking about his preparation for Sammohanam, he says that he usually does a lot of homework and observes real-life characters for reference. “But for this film, I couldn’t find anyone to follow; I just had the director to guide me. That’s why it was a challenging role. The director has a strong command over Telugu literature and language, but I struggled while dubbing for the film,” Sudheer Babu says.

At the audio launch event, Mahesh Babu says that despite being a member of veteran actor Krishna’s family, Sudheer Babu has made a name for himself without their support. When asked if it was a conscious decision not to use their names, Sudheer says, “When I decided to get into films I knew that I wanted to achieve something on my own. If I had used their names to get projects, people wouldn’t have respected me. Using their names is like asking them for dowry. I don’t want to do that.”

The actor recently launched his own production house to encourage new talent. “I want to make at least two films a year with new and experienced people,” he says.

Sudheer Babu will next be seen in the biopic of badminton player Gopichand, for which he will start shooting in September. “Any biopic is a challenge for an actor. I am trying to capture Gopichand’s life within me. I want to go and live with him for a few months to understand what kind of a person he is, his body language and other things,” he says.

The biopic will be made in Telugu and Hindi. “I am also seriously practising badminton for the film. The idea is to participate in a few international tournaments. Not to win, but to get the real feel of the moment and the audience’s expressions,” he says.

The makers are currently on the lookout for an actress to play the leading lady. “Gopichand’s wife is also a badminton player, so we are looking for a leading lady who can play badminton,” Sudheer Babu says.