A day before the release of 100% Love , Naga Chaitanya appears confident that summer of 2011 will be special for him. He is yet to watch his new film and Friday jitters are not for him. “None of us in my family has watched the film. We will watch it in theatres. But I am happy because I know that all of us in the unit have done a great job,” he says. Coming after the super successful breezy love story Ye Maya Chesave , Chaitanya knows all eyes will be on him. “I have enjoyed this journey of working with director Sukumar for the last one year,” he says.
100% Love is much more than a love story, he promises. “Simply put, I cannot call it a regular love story between a girl from a rural background and an urban guy. Both are rooted in the family value systems that people of this State will identify with. It's a film that you can watch with your family,” he emphasises.
Ye Maya Chesave helped one-film-old Chaitanya rediscover himself with the help of director Gautam Menon and Sukumar, yet again, helped him explore newer vistas of acting. “It would be unfair to compare Gautam and Sukumar; they are alike in certain respects but very different in their approach to work.” He says about Sukumar, “He is such an interesting person to work with. I was amused by the way he would keenly observe people. After he met me, he moulded my character to suit my personality and tailor made a few scenes for me. He looks into minute details. He knew each of us working with him so well and that helped him get the best out of us.” Chaitanya hadn't watched Jagadam , which Sukumar rates as his personal best, and watched the film after he began working with the director.
Reflecting on how Ye Maya Chesave made him face work with renewed confidence, putting the lukewarm debut Josh behind him, Chaitanya says, “The film gave me confidence in that phase of my life and career. I was able to listen to a number of scripts, including a few out-of-the-box ones, with clarity,” he says. Is he open to out-of-the-box ideas and scripts? “Oh, definitely. My next film directed by Ajay Bhuyan is in that category. It's a great action love story with a refreshing, stylish presentation and high technical values,” he says.
This summer, Chaitanya has been shooting for Bhuyan's film, first in Bangkok and then in Hyderabad. The back-to-back schedules gave him no room for rest. “Ideally I like to space out my work and have some time for myself. But the schedules were reworked after the strike in the industry,” he says.
Watch out for the young actor this year in Ram Gopal Varma's Bejawada Rowdilu and Dev Katta's Autonagar Surya . “These are interesting scripts which will present me differently,” he says.
Unlike many of his contemporaries, one hears less of Chaitanya apart from his films and he prefers it that way. His absence from twitter is also a step in that direction. “I am not a very social person. I prefer people knowing me through my films. So I don't tweet,” he smiles and signs off.
