Kona Venkat, the most happening story, screenplay and dialogue writer has made his debut as a villain in Endukante Premanta this week. What made him put on the greasepaint after 16 years? “When I narrated the dialogues of that character, Karunakaran said he could see only me and insisted that I do it; I had no qualms since I already had the experience of staging plays in college days. There were no inhibitions in front of the camera and I felt at ease, but ask me to take it up again, I might have to think twice. It is possible if you take it up as a career but when you have other responsibilities, like writing, it gets difficult. I can sit in the caravan waiting for my shot and write simultaneously but it will be like having the feet in two different boats with different speed levels and you can't focus 100 percent on one job.”
True, Venkat has too many projects, there is No Entry II, Share Khan, Badshah, Shadow, Dhukudu II , a Ram-Bommarillu Bhaskar film and a Ravi Teja movie and Pawan Kalyan project down the line. He makes an interesting observation on the trend of Hindi films being remade from Telugu.
“After Amitabh Bachchan era as a hero, and the multiplexes came up, the audiences don't have anyone whom they can look up to. Their heroes are just characters, ordinary people and the people don't take them seriously. Salman and Sanjay Dutt were telling me that our technicians and directors weave stories with love, adoration and look up to the stars as real idols. The success, the conviction comes from such adoration; we look at them from a low angle and they appear larger than life. Bollywood doesn't have writers who can give heroic status to the character and drive a parallel comedy. There are either art films aimed at festivals, multiplexes, overseas audiences or complete slapstick but not a wholesome mixture, an entertainer. That's why our films are being remade and are filling that vacuum.”
Kona Venkat has started his career with RGV's Satya in Mumbai and shifted base to Hyderabad and there has been no looking back, he says. There isn't much difference moving to Hindi movies again as creativity is honoured anywhere but he does value the opportunity given to him. He adds, “I'll be a fool if I think I'm the best writer around, this is a phase and I can't take it for granted and think people will see and listen to whatever I churn out, one will become stale and repeat work and that would be the beginning of my end. So I am on my toes and aiming to stay on there and that's possible only if I deliver the goods.”
Finally he heaps praise on Pawan Kalyan, “He has retained his freshness by not acting in too many films and by not exposing himself artistically. If you make sequel of Khushi with him, it will still work.”
