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One watches Ravi Teja’s films not for the setup, plotline or treatment, but for the sheer joy of watching a phenomenon in action. And going by the teaser of his forthcoming film, Disco Raja, which hits the screens on January 24, it’s a phenomenal fun ride awaiting his fans.

As we enter his suite room in a private studio in the city on a Saturday morning, we Ravi Teja engrossed in the day’s newspaper.

When he sees us entering the room, he folds his paper and says with a smile, “I am just catching up with filmy updates. I don’t know anything other than cinema, and I don’t want to know either. But that’s how I’ve been all my life.”

Then, handshakes and pleasantries done with, we settle down a fun talkfest.

But we can’t help but begin with the start of Disco Raja’s teaser. In it, the actor can be seen walking in through rooms in slow mo. And as he throws away an apron off him, a background voice says, “I am done with this f@&king crap.”

So, is that a caution to filmmakers not to approach him with mediocre scripts, we ask with a chuckle.

“Exactly,” he replies. “From here on, I want to do something different, and Disco Raja is a film with interesting content. I thoroughly enjoyed working for the film and whenever I enjoy the process, trust me, I am certain the audience would enjoy it too.”

The one teacher he relies on
Audiences and their cheers aside, Ravi Teja is one who has been constantly learning from his past failures.

Then telling us how they never dampened his spirit, he adds, “Nothing teaches you better than failure. I mean… come on, why should failures affect me? I’ll fight and move on. Yes, initially, failures affected me, but soon, I learnt not to take anything seriously as long as people around me took me seriously.”

For a rank outsider like him, 21 years of film journey (as a lead actor) has helped discover everything about cinema. Ask him how he reflects on his journey, and he replies, “I don’t want to look back, but simultaneously, I don’t think about the future too. But all in all, I just want to go with the flow.”

Disco Raja is a sci-fi thriller, which showcases life in a typical retro set up. “Since I grew up in that era, I could immediately connect to the script when Vi Anand narrated,” he explains.

Moving to the rhythm
Disco Raja has been in the news for Ravi Teja playing the dual role of father and son, in which one of his characters suffers from a syndrome, etc.

“That’s what I want; to let people be curious about my film,” he says, adding that he’s happy for the buzz that has picked up.

But not many know that Ravi Teja is a fitness freak, and his lean look is part of his routine.

“I have been very disciplined right from the start of my career,” elaborates the Raja The Great star, “But the discipline levels have now gone up a few years ago, and I started feeling very good and happy.” Ravi Teja ascribes to everything staying illuminated in his life to staying away from negativity. And while he believes that his attitude of not to expect anything from others keeps him blissful, Ravi Teja believes that workout, family and shooting keeps his happy. “I don’t even party; I am like that,” he maintains, “I am happy to sit at home during leisure, watching films on Netflix and Amazon .

His biggest critique
His son, Mahadhan, who studies in the 8th grade, had made a brief appearance in one of his earlier films. Does the actor have plans to groom his son? But Ravi tells us that he will let his son be what he wants to be. “Mahadhan always watches my films. In fact, he is my biggest critic; he’s brutally honest and witty too. My wife Kalyani too gives her opinion on my films.”

So what kind of a father is he, we are curious. “I am always friendly. My son and daughter treat me like their friends. And on my part, I too behave like a married bachelor,” he laughs as he signs off.