As Thalapathy Vijay starrer ‘Varasudu’ is in the Sankranthi fray competing with two box-office biggies of the season — ‘Waltair Veerayya’ and ‘Veera Simha Reddy’, senior actor Meka Srikanth interacted with the media sharing his experience working with the film project.
“This is the first Tamil film that I have done in my film career. I’ve done quite a many Kannada flicks since I know the language, but I didn’t get the chance to try my hand at Tamil films. It’s not that I am not accustomed to the language. I happened to spend time in Chennai, I can manage the local lingo that people speak in the suburbs of the city, but I can’t speak the core dialect. I am playing the brother of actor Vijay. This is a crucial role that I got to play. I will be throughout the film. It’s an out-and-out family entertainer. ‘Varasudu’ is mired with wonderful human emotions and the visuals are extraordinary. Although the film is bi-lingual, the film appeals to be a typical Telugu film,” he says.
How does it feel to work with Thalapathy Vijay?
Vijay has a very reserved demeanour on the film sets. I happened to meet him at a few events earlier. He doesn’t speak much. He doesn’t use a caravan, and doesn’t use his cell phone much. I feel happy to step into the Tamil film industry with Thalapathy Vijay. The character I played is laced with myriad human emotions. I’ll be seen throughout the runtime. It’s been a long time since Vijay has acted in a family entertainer. I think ‘Varasudu’ is a perfect film for Vijay and for everyone in the team to make some noise at the box office this Sankranthi.
Do you feel ‘Varasudu’ is at risk competing with two biggies at the box office?
Now it is all pan-India trend that is seeping in. If not here, Telugu films would do well elsewhere in the country. Sankranti is also a “festival of films’ ‘, so people would welcome films as much as they celebrate Sankranti. ‘Varasudu’ is a perfect family entertainer to feast on for audiences.
After playing the character Varadarajulu in ‘Akhanda’, you have soon picked a soft-natured one in ‘Varasudu’. Don’t you think villainy characters add more weight than supporting roles?
I’ve no such reservations as an actor. If I find a character interesting, I immediately sign in. I wanted to see myself in a different role after ‘Akhanda’. I am donning a different role in Ram Charan’s next film which is being directed by Shankar.
Starring ‘National crush’ Rashmika Mandanna, senior star Jayasudha, Kick Shyam, Sarathkumar, actress Sangeetha, Prabhu among others in key roles, ‘Varasudu’ is produced by Dil Raju, Shirish, Param V Potluri under the banners Sri Venkateswara Creations and PVP Cinemas. The film is scheduled to hit screens worldwide on January 12.
