The recent Galatta Plus Mega Pan-India Round Table held a few days ago saw the participation of well-known personalities like Sai Dharam Tej, Sruthi Haasan, Sriya Saran, Shobhu Yarlagadda, and Tharun Bhaskar. However, it was Sai Dharam Tej’s words that truly captivated everyone.
Sai Dharam Tej opened up about the highs and lows of his life, especially touching upon a life-threatening accident he faced. He mentioned that life has its way of pushing you down and then lifting you back up again.
When asked whether his success in the hit film ‘Virupaksha’ felt sweeter due to the accident preceding it, Sai Dharam Tej shared that the period following his accident was actually the sweetest. Waking up from a coma and seeing all the supportive messages from people brought him immense happiness, surpassing even the success of ‘Virupaksha’. He considered the overwhelming support from various circles of people during his accident as his true success.
Delving into the style of Indian films versus Hollywood movies, Sai Dharam Tej highlighted the emotional aspect of Indian cinema. He explained that slow motion sequences in Indian films are intended to evoke emotions in the audience, allowing them a moment to celebrate and shout in excitement. According to him, slow motion sequences serve as the introduction for every Indian hero.
Speaking fondly of his uncle, Power Star Pawan Kalyan, Sai Dharam Tej revealed that Pawan Kalyan loves playing Lego. Recalling his childhood days, he mentioned how Pawan Kalyan used to invite him to play with Lego, fostering a special bond between them.
He also praised Shobhu Yarlagadda’s film planning techniques during the conference, emphasizing how efficient storyboarding and shot division helped in completing tasks in half the expected time during his film Republic.
Addressing the audience’s changing expectations post-lockdown, Sai Dharam Tej noted that people have been exposed to a lot of world cinema and now anticipate quality over quantity in films.
Finally, when questioned about taking up a bold script like Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s ‘Animal’, Sai Dharam Tej expressed enthusiasm for such challenging roles. He highlighted the excitement in portraying a character exhibiting animalistic traits and mentioned his admiration for actors like Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, and Rashmika Mandanna, who dared to take on such roles.
Sai Dharam Tej’s reflections and insights during the Galatta Plus Mega Pan-India Round Table 2023 shed light on his journey, the essence of Indian cinema, and his openness to challenging roles in the future.
