First of all, I want to congratulate you for this astounding success?
Thank you, Sir, thank you. I feel I am living in a dream. I am on the airport right now and there are 30-40 people waiting for pictures with me as soon as I finish talking to you.
They will just have to wait.How do you feel?
Well Sir, firstly I am not completely new to success. My earlier film with the same director Zombie Reddy was also a success, though nothing like this.
How has Hanu Man changed your life?
There is a tremendous , dare I say phenomenal response from across the country that has taken us by surprise. I am getting congratulatory calls from across industries. It feels very comforting when stars who had their releases on the same day as Hanu Man are calling me. Sivakarthikeyan Sir saw the film and congratulated me. Dhanush Sir who had his release(Captain Miller) on the same day as Hanu Man has seen the film. Ravi Teja Sir’s film was supposed to release on the same day but got postponed at the last minute. He has also been very nice.
Now you are flying to Bengaluru?
Yes, I am going to meet Shivanna Garu Sir(Kannada superstar Shivaraj Kumar. Shivanna Sir took the time off to watch the film in a regular show. I am flying down to Bengaluru to seek his blessings and thank him for all the support.
Wow! That is so thoughtful of you.
I’ve been a part of the Telugu for so long. I started as an actor when I was only 2 and a half years old. So I am not new to attention and to the perks of being an actor. What has changed now is the opportunities. My producers now have the financial clout to narrate even bigger stories. Earlier too we had big ideas but we were always struggling to get the budgets to match our vision.
You own financial clout also changes with Hanu Man?
Of course , Sir. But my remuneration won’t impact the production.
It can, if you decide to become a producer?
No, Sir. That would be too much stress for me. I am already doing a strenuous job. I don’t want to add to my responsibilities.
How did you land your first role at the age of 2 ½ ?
Sir, it was destiny. My cousin had taken me to buy some toys at a bookstore. The director Gunasekhar Sir who has made Rudramadevi spotted me at the store.
You were a cute baby?
Yeah yeah, and very agile also. So Gunasekhar Sir took my pictures and contacted my parents. They were taken aback when he offered me a role, as any parents would be if their 2-year old is offered a film.
What was the role?
I was the son of Chiranjeevi Garu. The film Choodalani Vundi was based on a father-son relationship , so it had a lot of emotions. I had to do a lot of crying and dramatics.Please watch my screen debut in Choodalani Vundi .It was a hit way back in 1988. By the time the film released I was 3 ½ . I remember attending the function to celebrate the film’s 175 days in the theatres. Now of course success is not about 175 days but 175 crores in the first week.
Which Hanu Man will no doubt achieve?
All God’s will , Sir. We worked really hard and within a very tight budget. My director Prasanth Verma and I faced a lot of hardships in making the film. But it finally paid off.Our heart was in the right place.