In 2012, when Venkatesh watched OMG - Oh My God!, he could connect with it. He felt the film directed by Umesh Shukla could be remade in Telugu, though he was sceptical if the audience would accept the film’s concept. Now, Venkatesh is confident that “youngsters have a clear mind and are ready for new ideas. With the kind of knowledge they are getting in schools and colleges, it’s not right on our part to not tell them what or who is God.”
As the sun bathes Ramanaidu Studios on a wintry morning, the actor explains why he took a strong liking to OMG . “Paresh Rawal’s character goes from being a non-believer to a believer, but not in a ritualistic way. I’ve gone through different stages in my spiritual journey. You fear God when you look at him as a master. As you grow in your reading and quest, the fear turns into love. We need to look within to find Him. And this is the best script I could find to express these thoughts,” he says.
The team had extensive discussions with director Kishore Pardasani. “Only a small percentage of the audience, in A centres, would have seen OMG. So that wasn’t an issue. We were excited since there’s a lot that we wanted to say and yet, only so much is possible through a film. We stuck to the basics. I guess people will be able to sense that I, too, have gone through a journey. We added a song that introduces my character, his family and his views on rituals,” he says.
Rajkumar Hirani’s PK becoming a huge hit, feels Venkatesh, will only work in favour of Gopala Gopala . “Our film will be enjoyable and we took care not to hurt anyone’s sentiments. In fact, God is a character in our film as a representative of different faiths. He teaches me to use principles of Bhagavad Gita, Bible and Quran. See, we are trying to throw a small seed that will get people thinking. Change will happen only when people are ready. I’ve seen my friends and family going to great lengths to do rituals when they feel burdened with small issues. It is a temporary vacation when you go on yatras; you return to the same world. Many masters have come and gone and yet, mindsets have been slow to change.”
In place of Akshay Kumar in the original comes Pawan Kalyan, who has a mammoth following. “We wanted to work together earlier, but were busy with our respective films. Playing God isn’t easy; the look in the eyes have to be kind, caring and real. Pawan has done an outstanding job,” praises Venkatesh, who has, of late, become a go-to actor for multi-starrers. He’s been a common factor in Eenadu with Kamal Haasan, Seethamma Vaakitlo Sirimalle Chettu ( SVSC ) with Mahesh and Masala with Ram.
Venkatesh accepts that it’s easier for him to share the screen with other actors at this stage, when he doesn’t need to prove himself. “I doubt if I could have done this 10 years ago. I’ve been in the industry for 28 years and younger actors don’t think of me as competition. Mahesh and I hit it off well from day one; it was the same case with Pawan,” he says.
Reflecting on the time he ruled the roost with Nagarjuna, Chiranjeevi and Balakrishna, he says, “Earlier there were three or four actors who were called the pillars of the industry. Today I can think of eight or nine youngsters doing a good job.”
At 54, Venkatesh chooses his films with care. “I’d like to move into a space similar to that of Bruce Willis and George Clooney and make something like the Die Hard series. I need to do my homework. I’ve been busy with family.”
Venkatesh is happy with Drushyam’s acceptance. We ask him if the violence was toned down to make the film acceptable for the family audience. He mulls over it before stating, “We discussed whether the audience would accept me getting beaten up badly in the police station. We wanted someone who isn’t a recognised actor here to do the beating.”
SVSC and Shadow are the two original scripts he took up in the last two years. He points out, “Good original scripts are now tough to come by. In the past, I’ve had some good original scripts: Nuvvu Naaku Nachav , Malleswari, Kalisundam Raa among many others. I’ve also been smart enough to pick good scripts from other languages. Where will you find a drama like Sundarakaanda here? A class 9 girl in love with a married professor?”
Be it a remake or an original script, he says the key is to look for a viable product. “Ultimately it’s a business, but I didn’t get into films for stardom. For years I struggled, unable to cope with stardom. I am happy for the love and recognition, but at one point I wanted to run away and become a sanyasi. Now I am happy in the mid path — at peace with work, family and finding my inner voice.”
There’s no concrete plan after Gopala Gopala . “I might finalise a couple of scripts by the month end. Or, I might take a break,” he smiles.
