I’ve never met Jagan, but

Jiiva plays Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the present Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, in his upcoming film Yatra 2 — a tough assignment, seeing that he neither speaks the language (Telugu) nor follows the politics of the State. But the large amount of information available about Jagan on public domain as well as the inputs provided by the director and his team helped him get into character, says the actor.

Apart from media interviews with the Chief Minister and reports on his public meetings, the director’s insights moulded his portrayal, says Jiiva. “I know Jagan as the CM of Andhra Pradesh and the son and political successor of the late CM Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy. But more importantly, as a professional actor, it is the script and the director’s vision I followed,” he explains.

Sharing that he was initially apprehensive about taking on the role, Jiiva says that after he watched Mahi’s previous work, Yatra, starring Mammootty, he became confident. “I realised that director Mahi V Raghav is a class act. He has a beautiful way of dealing with political subjects. Our film’s core is a promise given by a son (Jagan) to people on behalf of his father (Rajasekhar Reddy) and his journey towards fulfilling that promise. So there’s more human emotion and less politics,” the actor explains.

Asked whether he had met Jagan, he replies in the negative. “But I understood his spirit and character,” he stresses. Jiiva also clarifies that though Yatra 2 is a partial biopic of a leader, the director restricted the narrative to human emotions and did not venture into politics.

The Rangam actor shares that some aspects of the film and the central character struck a chord with him. “Yatra 2 is the journey of a son who has a legacy to carry forward. Before I became an actor, I was known as the son of legendary producer RB Choudhary. That’s a legacy I will always cherish and carry irrespective of my achievements. Also, Jagan is a loving husband and a father to two girls and always prioritises them. I too treasure family values,” he says, adding that these factors helped him connect to the character.

Though Yatra 2 is a partial biopic of a YS JAGAN, the director restricted the narrative to human emotions and did not venture into politics— Jiiva