Man of the moment

Q You have managed to play a variety of roles in your last four movies. Will the audience get to see something different this time again?

Yes, I play a lovable and wholesome family man in my next movie, who wouldn’t even ask his girlfriend for a kiss! This is my homage to that archetypal hero that Salman Khan plays in Sooraj Barjatya’s films.

Q Do you find it challenging to play a lovable character?

Yes, it was a big challenge. I am done with wholesomeness and lovability with this film. The three films after this would all have me playing dark and disturbed characters. Exploring the dark side of my character’s personality seems to be my forte! 

Q How do you look back on your Arjun Reddy experience?

It sapped me completely. I had to be constantly probing into the darkest recesses of my mind, digging out feelings and tapping into emotions that I never knew existed! You see, when it comes to probing my own feelings, I am a shirker. It’s often been a problem, especially when it comes to my closest relationships. Now I’m done with Arjun Reddy. My next Telugu film, Taxi Wala, is a supernatural thriller. It’s a world as far removed from Arjun Reddy as possible, where I play a cabbie.

Q You also star in the Savithri biopic...

It’s right that I am doing Mahanati. Sometimes I get to hear from the industry grapevine that I am playing MGR, and at other times that I’m playing NTR. I am actually playing neither! Both Samantha Ruth Prabhu and I play journalists in the movie, who set out to piece together the story of Savithri’s life.

Q Like Orson Welles in Citizen Kane?

Yeah, kind of. Did you know that I’ve hardly watched the classics? I spent half of my life in a boarding school, where we were only occasionally treated to wholesome classics like The Sound of Music. So I am still unfamiliar with most of the classics from Hollywood, Bollywood, or even from the Tamil–Telugu cinema.

Q So where did all that sexuality in Arjun Reddy emerge from?

I don’t know (laughs)! It was probably all suppressed inside me and came bubbling to the surface in Arjun Reddy. Yeah, this guy believed in pre-marital sex and was a very sexually active person. For my next film, which I start shooting from February, however, I play a very straitlaced character.

Q Are you looking at a sequel to Arjun Reddy?

My director Sandeep Reddy Vanga and I discussed it even while we were filming Arjun Reddy. There is so much to this character that remains unexplored. We will return to Arjun... at some point for sure. Though not right away. 
For now, I’m just happy with the impact this film and my character has made. 
I’ve received my first Best Actor award for my role in Arjun Reddy from Zee Telugu, and that too from the legendary Chiranjeevi sir!

Vijay says no to Mani?
A very reliable source informs us that Vijay Deverakonda has refused a part in a Mani Ratnam project. After watching Vijay’s performance in Arjun Reddy, Mani felt that he could portray the character he had in mind for his multi-starrer. But Vijay has allegedly refused to be a part of the project, stating that he wasn’t convinced about either the role or the remuneration. We hear that Vijay felt that he wouldn’t get enough screen time in this movie.
 — Merin James

Q Do you think the high expectations that Arjun Reddy generated will come in the way of audiences appreciating your forthcoming films?

I am happy with my role in Taxi Wala. It gave me a chance to do a fun character. I didn’t have to agonise over every scene. As for Mahanati, it’s a relatively small role in a film that pays homage to one of South Indian cinema’s greatest actors. Sometimes it is liberating for an actor to just be a part of project, where he doesn’t have to shoulder all the pressure alone. 

Q What next?
Well, right now I’m leaving for a two-week holiday to Spain and Belgium. I think I’ve earned this break. I come back after the New Year to complete my work in Mahanati.