Dr. Bharath Reddy is an interventional cardiologist, and an actor. He’s been straddling a field that calls for deploying cutting-edge technology to save lives and another than uses technology to entertain. All it takes, he says, is the ability to strike a balance between reel and real.
“I’ve been a doctor for 13 years now,” says Bharath, who works at Apollo, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. But, his love for acting dates back to the time he was at La Chatelaine School, Alwarthirunagar. He made his debut as an actor in Telugu in 2007, and a year later in Tamil.
So far, along with two other cardiologists in his team, he’s saved innumerable lives, and also managed to act in 50 films in Telugu, 16 in Tamil, two in Kannada and one in Hindi. “I’m usually at work from 8.30 a.m. till about 6 p.m. There have been times when I’ve gone for shoots in the morning and gone back to do night calls at the hospital. It is a blessing and a privilege God has given me, to be able to do two things that give me great satisfaction,” says Bharath, whose next film in Tamil is Bayam Oru Payanam , where he plays the lead.
Sometimes, he comes across patients who beam once they realise they are being treated by an actor. But, how easy is it to switch between disparate roles? “With training and experience, I’ve learnt to switch off on leaving the hospital. Initially, it was difficult. If I lost a young patient who was chronically ill, I’d have tears in my eyes. Now, I’ve learnt to accept certain things. I’ve also learnt to enter a different zone when on the sets,” he says.
Both fields call for a great deal of learning, and that, says Bharath, is a huge motivator. “You have to read to keep pace with the changes in cardiology, and you have to constantly work on your acting.” Almost every second person who sees him ends up asking how he handles his two professions, says the doctor-actor.
“How do I explain that the high I get when I finish a tough angioplasty or give a good shot is incomparable?” smiles Bharath, who relaxes with martial arts (kick-boxing) and dance. Has the fact that he’s a life-saver in real life ever stopped him from accepting certain roles? “Never. I always submit to the character. For instance, in Kavya’s Diary (Telugu), I played a doctor who was all grey.”