For the first time in his career, actor Nani is doing a multi-starrer titled Devadas. The actor recalls that he had never met his co-star Nagarjuna personally and was a bit apprehensive of how it would be on the sets.
“We started shooting a song first and then moved on to the scenes. I have grown up watching Nagarjuna’s films and he is a senior actor, but within two days, we became friends. I never felt that I was working with a senior actor, because our comfort level was similar to my own contemporaries,” says Nani.
Reacting to comments that he asked Sriram Aditya to direct the film, Nani says, “I didn’t know Sriram Aditya before this film. He came up with a storyline which was very raw but we wanted to develop it as a full-fledged film that was neither too commercial nor too realistic. I shared the same with my friend, who in turn, suggested Sriram Aditya’s name."
Apparently, the director worked on the story for 40 days before narrating it to Nani. “I was shooting for MCA in Warangal and Sriram came to me with the script. Although I wanted to turn it down because of my busy schedule, I decided to do it after hearing the narration,” recalls the actor, adding that Sriram then narrated the same to Nagarjuna, who also came on board.
So was he scared to work in a multi-starrer after enjoying continuous hits as a lead actor? “I am not an image driven actor and people come to see my movies because they want to enjoy themselves. I reached this position without a film background and when an actor like Nagarjuna wants to act with me, it’s an offer which I can’t refuse,” admits Nani, who has been working continuously for the last four months without any break. “Generally I get a few days off when I do a regular film, but since I accepted the Big Boss show, I have not had even a half day break. I’ve missed my son very much and now, both the film and Big Boss are going to conclude at the same time,” he shares.
The actor admits that he has learnt a lot from the show. “It’s been a real eye-opener for me,” he says, adding that the last four months have been very stressful for him. This Dasara, Nani will start shooting for his next film Jersey. “It’s a cricket-based film and after I signed the film, the producers sent a complete cricket kit to me,” shares the actor.
“Now I am practising cricket for nearly three and half hours every day and learning everything including the style, posture, body language etc. It’s a prestigious film for me,” he adds.
HT05
