My job is only to act: Gopichand

Gopichand’s upcoming film Oxygen is releasing on this Friday after a delay. However, the actor is confident that the film will be a hit, unlike the last two years, where none of his films fared well. “I hope this film will give me the much-needed break,” says Gopichand.

“Though it is a commercial film with all the elements, Oxygen has a message” says the actor, who admits to a few mistakes after his hit film Loukyam. “After that, I did Soukyam, which was a wrong step and then I signed another film simultaneously. So everything turned bad for the first time in my career,” says Gopichand.

The actor reveals that there were two cinematographers for Oxygen. “Vetri worked for 75 per cent of the film and then Chota K. Naidu took over. Since the two understand each other well, it worked out,” says the actor, whose other film Aaradugula Bullet has also not released yet even though it was completed long ago. “My job is only to act in a film. The release date is not in my hands,” he says.

So, do film delays affect the performance? “Not much because I know the entire story, I can carry the same emotion. But if I commit to a film and later realise that the story is not coming out well, I still try to complete the film, even though I know the result,” says the actor.

Gopichand’s next film is with director Chakri and happens to be the actor’s 25th film. Reflecting on his journey, he says, “There were some hits and flops and though I made a few mistakes, I have no regrets.” Analysing the failure of his last film Gautam Nanda, he says, “The film couldn’t reach the audience properly. Maybe the publicity was not done right and the film also had a few loopholes.”

Will regular films be affected by the latest trend of web series? “No, I don’t think so. Even I am watching a lot of web series. But many still want to see films on the big screen,” explains the actor, who is still non-committal about acting in a web series. “The trend has just started, so we have to see how it goes,” he says.
Gopichand admits to meeting his best friend Prabhas regularly. 

“We discuss mostly films and want to act in a multi-starrer with a good story, director and subject,” he says and adds, “Prabhas has come out of the Baahubali pressure and will marry now.”

The actor also shares, “I am listening to a lot of scripts, but if the story is not good, I tell the director immediately. I politely tell him to try with other actors.”
Talking about his son Virat Krishna, Gopichand says, “He is three years old and joined school a year back. I go to his school because this is the best phase of my life, as a father. I don’t want to miss out.”