The survival thriller 'Dongalunnaru Jagratha', which is heading to theatres on September 23, stars Sri Simha Koduri as the male lead. Preethi Asrani is its female lead. Producers D Suresh Babu and Sunitha Tati are confident that newcomer Satish Tripura is going to deliver a hit driven by its content.
In this interview, Simha talks about his experience of working for the movie, his career, his beliefs as an actor, SS Rajamouli's feedback about the movie, and more.
I start out as a thief in the movie. And my character has a nice arc. By the time the film ends, he undergoes churning. The thief has been portrayed in a way that evokes sympathy. The audience will sympathize with him despite no deliberate flashback.
This is a survival thriller set in a single location. Since the story is highly exciting, we didn't get bored with the location. A mood is carried throughout the film. We rehearsed by setting up workshops before taking the film to the floors. My character gets locked up inside a car. I practised how it would feel to be in a claustrophobic setting. It's a working car but it was tailor-made.
The cinematographer has done the frames in such a way that we don't get bored watching the same location. The cinematography is inventive!
At first, we feared that it might be difficult to execute the project. But since the script is strong in terms of content, it was not hard.
It's true that Hollywood and Bollywood have made many survival thrillers. Our film is the first Telugu-language survival thriller.
Director Satish Tripura graduated in direction course at Ramanaidu Film School. He worked on 'Drushyam 2', among other movies. His narration and visualization are detailed. Despite being a debutant, he has done a marvellous job.
I am not sticking to any particular genre. I am open to commercial movies, thrillers, and new-age concepts. Only that the script has to be gripping. I don't mind the genre.
'Thellavarithe Guruvaram' flopped for a variety of reasons. Post its flop, we ruminated over what went wrong. We held meetings and brainstormed over the mistakes made.
I definitely take pieces of advice from family members, who leave the final decision to me. Coming to 'Dongalunnaru..', I went purely by my gut feeling. My brother Kaala Bhairava, mother, babai, Karthikeya anna... I consult them all for their opinions.
Rajamouli garu is positive about 'Dongalunnaru..'. He didn't know anything before watching the movie recently. He advised minor corrections. We have implemented them. I have a rapport with him but that doesn't mean I can desire to work with him. I have to deserve it.
I don't take any pressure. I want to become an actor who is capable of versatility and a variety of genres. I enjoy watching multi-starrers. If something comes my way, I will latch on to it enthusiastically.
'Bhaag Saale' is my next film. Its shoot is over and it will hit the cinemas two months from now. 'Ustaad' is another of my movies. It's a new-age drama.
