Jagapathi Babu will be seen as Gopichand's elder brother in 'Rama Banam', which hits the cinemas on May 5. In this interview, he suggests that the audience are starved of family drama and that the Summer release comes as a relief.
It has been long since we have seen a pure family entertainer. The genre and the combination are the main attractions of 'Rama Banam'. When I did 'Siva Rama Raju' in 2002, about 24 dysfunctional extended families patched up after watching it. That's the impact a good family drama has on people's mindsets.
Gopichand got a nice sibling story written by Sriwass and team. He was also conscious of how well-fleshed-out my character should be in the film. I have headlined about 80 movies. Of them, only 10% are unique.
Family sentiment and brother sentiment are what we need to reintroduce to the audience at a time when action films and big-scale spectacles have become the norm. People want to watch cruel villains and brutal heroes. 'Rama Banam' comes as a breeze amidst the growing trend of violent movies. At the end of the day, the story needs to be strong, well above and beyond the 'combination' of hero and director.
Khushbu Sundar has played my wife in 'Rama Banam'. Although she has been my good friend from childhood, I didn't get to share screen space with her. She is a nice human and it is good that she is in politics. She is a daring individual.
I am an organic foods proponent in the film. 'Saddennam' is something whose importance is increasingly being realized by Westerners. When I am home, I prefer my lunch to be as homely and traditional as possible. I enjoy it both for aesthetic and health-related reasons.
People Media Factory is a very comfortable production house. Business-wise, they are quite sensible and passionate.
I am not doing films that treat me as a set property. There was a time when I used to do some roles just for money. I am now beyond that phase. Given my age, I have to stop considering an offer only for the sake of remuneration. I recently did a Bollywood project with Salman Khan. It was remunerative and also gave me good exposure. I am increasingly getting choosy.
My second innings has been great. There is no pressure in terms of box-office collections. I am able to deliver what the director expects from me and move on.
'Legend' was an unbelievable character in terms of characterization, tailor-made background score, character graph and other aspects. 'Rangasthalam' and 'Aravindha Sametha' come next.
I am an actor, not a hero. I am not a method actor. I don't consider myself an extraordinary performer. I am a director's actor. My performance goes up several notches if the director is supremely talented.
I am asked to do podcasts. I am not that talented. You have to have something unique to speak. I have listened to Puri Jagannadh's podcasts. They are good. If you follow me on Instagram, you would realize that my posts deliver some or the other message in bits and pieces.
I have shot for Superstar Mahesh Babu's 28th movie directed by Trivikram for a week. My character is laced with both dramatic elements and (larger-than-life) action.
As for 'Salaar', Prashanth Neel is an unbelievable director. He can okay even complicated shots in a single take. That's his clarity. And he bestows his clarity on his actors. I have shot for only five days for the film. I didn't even ask about my character. I was just excited to be on the sets of a Neel film.
I am not aware of whether my name has been mentioned by the makers of 'Pushpa: The Rule'. I am bound by a contract not to talk about it at this point in time.
I would love to be part of sensible films regardless of their scale. I love films like 'Care Of Kancharapalem', 'Colour Photo' and 'Balagam'. I would love to do such films if they come my way. Producers and directors needn't think that I won't do small films/characters. I have done 'Rudrangi' purely out of passion, not for remuneration.
I am not following the Rajinikanth issue. (The superstar has been targeted by YCP functionaries for endorsing Chandrababu Naidu). He is a good speaker in general. Beyond that, I haven't followed the political issue at all.
I have got plans to revive my father's banner. I have to make the right moves so that the stature of the banner is respected.
Cinema is bigger than any individual. I submit to my character, whether it is positive or negative. Crossover films are being made increasingly. Markets have become wider. Artists like me are going through a good phase in terms of opportunities.
I am asked to mediate between warring couples. If a couple get divorced, what happens to their children? How do they grow up? Many of them become criminals. I and VN Aditya wanted to do a film with this as the premise.
