Y Sunita Chowdhary
The Corona Virus might have snatched away opportunities, jobs and a lot more from people but it did a whole lot of good to a few and Naveen Chandra is one of them. He made his debut as an artist in Hanu Raghavapudi’s Andala Rakshasi and after that there wasn’t a single film that he could call his own. He was seen as a second hero, character artist, and his projects as solo hero tanked. He is right when he rues, “I can only pick from what is offered to me and we are as good as our last film. If our last film doesn’t work in our favour, we continue to wait for a better opportunity. But I did learn from each film and evolved as an actor in these years.” Throughout this journey, his family kept him sane, encouraging him to follow his passion. At a time when popular films from all languages didn’t get good reviews, Bhanumati Ramakrishna surprised cinema lovers. Be it Salony Luthra, director Srikant Nagothi or for that matter AhA which was struggling to get attention and a right film, got two million subscribers in that one week. Moral of the story is, content is always the king.
If Saloni Luthra as Bhanumathi was calling the shots, throwing a tantrum or was a compulsive attention seeker, Naveen Chandra as Rama Krishna was also dominating the show equally with his simplicity and positive character. The two contrasting people left the audience asking for more. In a small chat with Klapboardpost.com, Naveen Chandra sounds upbeat and yes, also very humble and responsible. He says, “I am a small town guy from Bellary. If you remember, there is a scene where I alight at the Secunderabad Station with a bag. I too came to Secunderabad station with a bag to pursue my dream and career here. I didn’t know anyone here and began hunting for work. Out of the ten films I would get, I’d choose the best. Before I was offered Bhanumati Ramakrishna, I was in the worst stage of my life. I didn’t think if the role was big or small when Srikanth approached me. I was baffled when I heard about RK and I took it as a challenge to prove that such a guy exists. Antha easy ga dorakaledhu Ramakrishna. It took one a half year in the making but it was worth it.”
He further says, “I have been approached by many OTT platforms, and I would always question them if the content is dark, if there are adult scenes, abusive language etc. They said the content is good and after talking to Srikanth I felt, a good film can never escape an audience’s attention. For Telugu audiences, watching the film on AhA was a treat, especially the first day of its release. It was so much like a theatrical release. All my friends sat in front of the screens with snacks and drinks and had fun. People wanted a nice, soothing film like Pelli Chupulu or Chi La Sow. The approach towards the film is realistic and no shot has been glorified. RK is a guy who anyone and Bhanumathi should agree with RK, then only she’ll know the difference between corporate life and personal life. It is all about how RK brings a transformation in her. When Srikanth narrated the story, I asked him if such a person exists and began hunting for RK. There is an RK in all people, I found one in my watchman. He leads such a simple life and warm at heart and is so content. RK breaks down on his mom’s shoulder. Usually a man does that in the company of his friends and while having a drink but here, RK has a normal life, cries and goes to sleep, never expecting Bhanumathi to come home.”
In Virata Parvam, Naveen Chandra plays a Naxalite and he terms Venu Udugula as a splendid director. In Miss India which is woman centric and has Keerti Suresh in the lead, he plays her love interest but unlike Bhanumati Ramakrishna, he is stylised and sports an urbane look. In Mosagallu, he is the youngest of the three siblings, Kajal and Vishnu Manchu being the other two. They have to execute a plan and he plays the catalyst. Naveen loved playing the cocaine addicted guy, who is larger than life, a spoiled brat and cares two hoots for the cops. After Aravind Sametha things are falling in place and that has given his career a push. He is doing solo and also character roles. In Bhanumati Ramakrishna, Naveen convinced people that a person who is positive, innocent, tolerant exists even today and such characters aren’t bookish and utopian. By the end of the film, Rama Krishna is indeed the guy that Bhanumati wanted to take home to introduce to her father.
Naveen shares the change the film brought about in his life. People who have earlier identified him as Surya from Andala Rakshasi are now addressing him as Rama Krishna Garu in his apartment. He says, “Lot of people are calling me, getting umpteen messages and I can say for sure they liked the film genuinely. I never told people to promote my film, share, retweet etc. they did it on their own. It did help me. It is seven years now, somewhere the actor in me will lose confidence if I keep doing similar stuff for money. I want to break the image. New directors are coming with fantastic roles, they know the actor in me and want to tap that potential.” Finally, ask him for his favourite scenes, he doesn’t think much, “When I tell a couple about the disadvantages of living in relationships. Then, a scene on the terrace when I am offered wine and I hesitate to drink. That establishes RK’s character in the story. He is very close to his mom, and he understands women and some here he reflects their thinking. Srikanth could have told me to oil and part my hair, wear spectacles but he didn’t. All he said was just be in RK’s state of mind and I followed his instructions.”
