'The Warriorr' is hitting the cinemas on July 14. In this interview, actor Ram Pothineni talks about what inspired him to do a cop-action drama, working with N Lingusamy, Devi Sri Prasad and Krithi Shetty, his upcoming projects, the marriage rumour, and more.
I started out with the desire to do a cop story. After listening to 4-5 scripts where the male protagonist is a policeman, I lost interest in the sub-genre because they were all routine. It's then that I stumbled across N Lingusamy's script. The minute I listened to the script, I knew that it was the story I needed.
All cop stories might look the same from the outside. But some of them have a distinct soul. Lingusamy's script is refreshing. The emotional foundation is strong because a lot of incidents narrated in the film have been inspired by real-life happenings. Some cops are like my character in the film in real life. The emotions delineated in the film are genuine.
'The Warriorr' is the first script that inspired me to write a tweet after listening to the narration! I did a mass commercial film like 'iSmart Shankar' consciously after doing many romantic movies. Both Puri Jagannadh and N Lingusamy are trend-setters. Both the director and I were on the same page for projects like 'iSmart Shankar' and 'The Warriorr'.
When Lingusamy narrated Guru the character, I wondered who would play it. Aadhi Pinisetty is the ideal choice. I was super-excited when the director pitched his name.
The energy I exude on screen owes its origin to the script. A cop story that establishes an emotional connect will go a long way. In every hero's film, a cop film is always special.
After the director narrated the script and left my place, I changed into a police uniform and started my homework. After all, it is inspired by real life.
People have to love something to flock to theatres. They have made 'RRR', 'KGF 2' and 'Sarileru Neekevvaru' and a few other movies big hits in recent weeks. The Telugu audience can't be stopped if they believe a film has to be watched only in a theatre. During the pandemic, the only audience who patronized movies are our audience.
The title 'The Warriorr' is derived from covid-time frontline warriors like doctors, nurses, cops, etc. We have seen many cop characters on the big screen. In my film, the cop-protagonist is different because he has been drawn from real life.
Krithi Shetty is dedicated. She respects her work a lot. 'The Warriorr' has been designed for a purely theatrical experience. After each song was composed, we mooted how it would feel in a theatre. Simbu has 'Bullet Song'. When DSP proposed his name, I was reminded of one of his popular songs in Tamil. The song couldn't have become this big a hit but for his rendition. Like me, DSP was excited after listening to the script. He called me by himself and asked me what kind of BGM he was expecting from him.
My directors don't ask me to do risky takes. I do them of my own volition. When I stand in front of the camera, I feel that I should give my all!
I express my views on non-film issues on social media when I feel strongly about something.
It's true that OTTs have changed the audience's tastes and preferences. Audiences are liking some trailers but are waiting for the OTT release to catch the film. We need to make big-screen experiences for them.
Recently, when media reports claimed that I would be getting married to a sweetheart from my high school days, even my family and friends asked me about it. I reminded them that I never went to high school regularly. They were convinced that the rumour was false (laughs).
We shouldn't do a pan-India film to impress pan-India audiences from word go. We have to do what we can do and see whether it will impress the pan-India audience.
It's too early to discuss what I will do after Boyapati Srinu's movie, which is a pan-India flick. A film with Harish Shankar might or might not happen immediately. Since Covid-19 resulted in a gap in my career, I am not intending to take breaks now. I will do films back to back.
