Victory Venkatesh is one actor who acted in movies that belong to family, entertainment, comedy and action genres. He is also one of those actors who balanced straight films as well as remake versions and delivered maximum number of hits in his career. Venky is now starring in a rib-tickling comedy movie ‘Masala’ in which he shared his screen space alongside young hero Ram. Directed by Vijaya Bhaskar and jointly produced by D Suresh Babu and Sravanthi Ravi Kishore, ‘Masala’ is a remake of Bollywood comedy entertainer ‘Bol Bachchan’. Anjali and Shazhan Padamsee are leading ladies opposite Venkatesh and Ram. Underneath the comedy, the film has action elements too. On the eve of film’s release on November 14th, Venkatesh spoke to the media and shared his views. Here are some excerpts:
How would you describe ‘Masala’?
An awesome entertainer! Spicy! Energetic! To describe in one word, it’s ‘A healthy entertainer’. Dialogues will leave the audiences high on laughter from start to end of the film. Overall ‘Masala’ contains enough humor to make it a solid family film.
Tell us about your character in the film?
I played Balram in ‘Masala’, which I’ve never played before. It’s very fresh and came out very well. Though it’s tough and sticky, it will connect well with the audience due to its innocence and openness.
You have spoken crazy English in this film. What kind of preparation did you make before getting on to this character?
I spoke that language as long as I was in front of the camera. But once the director says ‘Pack-up’, I’m out of that character right. So I would only speak funny English according to the situation and try to create fun. The crazy English was perfect for my body-language in this film.
How would you describe Ram’s acting style?
Ram’s character has dual shades which is very new to him. With Jaya Prakash Reddy on my side and Aali, Kovai Sarala and M S Narayana on Ram’s side, the entire team is very entertaining. Along with elders, this film will keep the kids also engaged. The glamorized action episodes have merged with situations so naturally. Visuals will also appear fresh.
Was there anytime that you advised Ram on sets?
Ram and I used to enter into our characters quickly and perform. So there was less opportunity for us to speak with each other for a long time. Hence no special advises as such.
Okay, what about music?
Music is very clean and good. There is good response for the tracks. The song which was shot in Japan is visually fresh. The visuals are very cool with colorful flowers.
What are some of the differences in your character in ‘Masala’ when compared to ‘Seetamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu’?
Both the characters are quite contrast. This is a high voltage entertainer with a mass touch role. Manliness was shown from a new angle. You wouldn’t have seen these kind of build-ups in my earlier films.
This being a comedy film, you must have enjoyed a lot while shooting for this film, right?
Yes, while doing this film, it gave us the feel of doing a hit film. We found freshness while watching the rushes in the monitor. I never had this kind of working experience before.
Did you do any homework for doing comedy?
Nothing as such. Hidden talent comes out of me just like that. We have several comedy artists like Allu Ramalingaiah and Padmanabhan. I remember in the beginning of my career, I used to think of Allu Ramalingaiah garu whenever I would perform comedy scenes and the flow would automatically come out when I think of him. Getting the same expressions is difficult when we go for more number of takes. Hence I would ask the director to choose the best scene out of 2-3 takes. I was very naughty in school and college too. I would imitate several comedians for fun. When we watch some reality shows, their timing is great. They are all natural artists. I feel it would be more than sufficient even if we are able to do 5% of what they do.
You have paired up with Anjali for the second time. So we would like to hear few words from you about her acting.
Anjali played a good role even though it’s a not a big one but a simple one. Both of us have had a hit together before. So we did it with positive vibrations.
Okay, can you give us the reason for doing more remakes?
In my career, I got more number of hits through remake films. Hence everyone thinks so. When compared to me, there are several other actors who did remakes too. You might be feeling so because the audiences have been receiving them since long. I have super duper hits through straight films also on par with hits through remakes. However according to me, a film business is a business. Hence we have to do good projects that earn good profits to producers. So remakes are safe bet. Even now my friend Salman and Tamil hero Vijay are ready to do remake films. They keep an eye on big hits in other languages. So I don’t think doing a remake is wrong. Remakes are best when we do not come across good subjects. So I personally like to do both. I don’t behave as per the strategies.
On the eve of completion of 50 years for Suresh Productions, what are your feelings?
It’s not an easy task for a production house to successfully complete 50 years. Both my father and brother have lifted that burden. Mine is a small part regarding this production house. They are making films irrespective of hits and flops. Our banner did films in several languages. I thank the audience and staff for encouraging us for so many years.
What about Arjun? What’s he saying?
He is 10 now. He is a smart kid. He is currently showing a lot of interest on football. He has good knowledge on films though. He is aware of spiritual too. I believe that I’ve to provide him a spiritual knowledge.
What are your forthcoming projects?
I’ve two films in the pipeline. ‘Radha’ with Maruthi, a film under Krishna Vamsi’s direction. There is also a film on our banner. We will let you know the details of it soon.
