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NTR Junior
Slow
and steady
 The
smashing success of Adhi has catapulted NTR Junior to the big league
since it has grossed more than Rs 30 crores. Obviously his next
release Allari Ramudu has gained enough significance as he teams
up with veteran director B Gopal. "I am doing comedy for the
first time" stated the youngster unfazed about the repercussions
of releasing a light-hearted film immediately after playing a angry
young man in Adhi. Bowing to the viewer’s demands, he has decided
to play the angry-young man more often. After the debacle of Subbu
and realising the importance of sharing the burden with others after
Adhi, he has resolved to discuss all aspects with his directors
unwilling to take any chance with his new-found stardom. He is equally
confident about his film for VMC Productions and claims that Ratnam’s
Naaga will have a hard-hitting message for the youth. By signing
just two out of 30-odd offers, he proves that he is in no hurry
and his preference is for exciting scripts over money.
Isn’t
it a cause of concern to release a light-hearted flick like Allari
Ramudu immediately playing the anger young man in Adhi?
Not really because even in Allari Ramudu, while the first half is
entertaining, there is anger and emotions in the second half. For
the first time, I am attempting comedy which will be on the lines
of legendary NTR’s Gundamma Katha and is sure to attract all.
My teaming up with veteran B Gopal has evoked high expectations
and I assure you that it will be more powerful and hard-hitting
than Adhi since the fusion of comedy and action has come out well.
Also my stakes have increased in Nizam area so I have decided to
hold it with a family entertainer. After enjoying working with Gopalji,
I have resolved to do at least one film a year with him.
In Allari ... whose idea was it to have a parody number of Akuchatu
Pindethadise performed by your grandfather NTR?
Producer Chanti came up with this idea and everyone agreed to do
it as the song is very popular even today. Incidentally, the art
director, the cinematographer and the director of Allari ... had
worked as assistants in their respective departments for that original
number when it was shot on my grandpa and they said they enjoyed
doing its parody now. Though we have changed the lyrics, I hope
the audience will still enjoy it.
Weren’t you confident about your film for VMC Productions since
you gave prominence to Allari ... and were you instrumental in changing
the director?
On
the contrary. I am quite confident about it since it’s shaping
up very well under the able guidance of seasoned producer Doraiswamy
Raju. I had to concentrate on Allari ... since the council insists
on giving priority to the film nearing completion. It was not because
of me but the producer had some problems with director Pavan Sridhar
and now Udayshankar has been signed to wrap up the film. I was impressed
with Uday’s work in the Tamil film Thavasi and let me tell
you this will be one of the best films of my career.
Everyone
including the director was surprised with the record-breaking hit
Adhi and have you signed any more such films?
Except for me, the record-breaking success of Adhi has
surprised every unit member. I knew that it would hit the bull’s
eye the minute I had heard the story-line. Though it sounds pompous
but the fact remains that I told my director it is going to be a
blockbuster. And I am yet to sign a factionist film. However, I
don’t rule it out for next year.
With Subbu and Adhi, it seems like you are drifting towards action
films pushing behind the lover boy image of your earlier films?
Though
I love both the images I have decided to heed to the wishes of my
fans since they have liked me immensely in emotion-packed roles
in the above-mentioned films. Now my ambition is to accept characters
which have maximum mass appeal and I want to be an actor who has
tried various roles within the commercial format. However, I would
also like to stick to the pattern of my films which are exploiting
both the images.
The action
in Subbu was much better than that in Adhi yet it failed to impress
much. Does this mean you will again take the big risk of carrying
the film entirely on your shoulders like you did in Adhi?
I do agree that the action was much better in Subbu but the
director failed to make a convincing film. I believe that a director
should be given a free hand to make the film. Similarly I didn’t
question director Vinayak’s casting during Adhi but from now
onwards I would like to discuss all the aspects including the technicians,
casting and other details with my directors before commencing a
film. I also feel that the burden should be shared among the team
members rather than placing it on one head.
Is it not too early to play a political leader in Naaga?
It has nothing to do with general politics. The film is about student
politics in colleges. Naaga is another film after Adhi which gave
me the instant feeling that we have a winner on hand. Director Suresh
captivated me with his spell-bound narration and I instantly agreed
do the film since it was the ideal youth-centric film I was dying
to do for quite some time. Since it is also related to the public,
Ratnam preferred to launch it on a grand scale amidst thousands
of people at Tirupati which incidentally had been a lucky place
for my grandfather.
This
year seems to belong to you and your father Harikrishna who delivered
a big hit Lahiri. How do you handle your new-found stardom?
My joy knew no bounds when my father’s film Lahiri
was declared a hit and undoubtedly, his mind-blowing performance
played a key role in its success. It sounds nice when people say
that it has been the year of the father and son.
As for handling
the pressures of stardom, you may be surprised to know that I have
waited for this to happen since my childhood. Though I have a free
exchange of views with the producers and directors, I have signed
only two films including one for my father’s friend which will
be directed by Vinayak. It has been smooth-sailing so far as the
producers know that it is not the money bags that can lure me but
only good scripts.
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