It’s Naga Chaitanya’s first press meet in Chennai. And, the Telugu star who lived and studied in the city for 18 years thought it was “surreal” to stand on the podium and have people listen to him. “I mean, this is the city I grew up in {T. Nagar and Thiruvanmiyur}, where my character was formed… I was raised like a regular kid and was never asked my family background… so, while I always imagined coming back here as a celebrity, I never thought it would happen,” he laughs.
Chay, as he is popularly known, still fondly remembers binging on chaat at Gangotree on RK Salai, hanging out with friends at Spencer Plaza, trips to the racing track at Sriperumbudur, and sneaking out of home at 16 to go clubbing. “My mother was very strict, and though I was reserved, I did give in to certain demands of my age, like sneaking out of the house to hit Dublin… She’ll know about that Chay only after reading this,” he says. But, he credits his mother with keeping him grounded. “She protected me from all the glitz till I could handle it, and my best friends are from school and college, who love me for what I am.”
The student of PSBB Nungambakkam was “a front bencher when it came to behaviour, and a backbencher in studies — my mother had to keep meeting my teachers when results were announced. I was what you would call a PSBB good boy”, smiles Chay.
The actor was in town over the weekend to dub for his Sahasam Swasaga Sagipo with Gautham Vasudev Menon and unveil the jersey of Celebrity Badminton League team Tollywood Thunder — he’s its brand ambassador.
There’s a lot happening in Chay’s life, professionally: Premam , the remake of the Malayalam cult classic, is due for release, and so is SSS . He’s also signed up for two other movies, both untitled, to be directed by Kalyan Krishna and Krishna, his classmate from PSBB.
The actor has huge regard for GVM. “I did my first film with him { Ye Maaya Chesave } when I was still very new. I’d only dreamt of working with him and performing to AR Rahman’s music. GVM helps you grow as a performer. There’s a lot you bring back home. Now, things are much easier. The other day, I was telling him how I tend to learn something new from him every time.”
The trailer of Premam led to the creation of many, many memes and hurtful reviews, primarily by fans of the Nivin Pauly original from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Chay admits he was “hurt”. “ Premam moved me; it was almost like seeing life play out on screen. I was very clear about my intentions while remaking it. A lot of films are inspired. We’ve always been remaking films in other languages. I guess such reactions are expected when you touch a cult classic…”
As for criticism about Shruti Haasan as ‘Malar Teacher’, Chay says that they wanted at least one recognisable face among the three heroines; Madonna and Anupama were new to Telugu audiences. “Shruti brings a lot of star value to the project. It helped that she wanted to attempt something new. She’s played the character her way.”
Chay says he dipped into his life to play the lead. “I connected so much to the part. I’ve fallen in love, fought for the girl, gone against friends and family, and now, have matured. I look at love differently now, as something for keeps. I’ve been through these phases. I liked that progression on screen. And, for someone who does not cry easily, I’ll admit I cried while watching the original.”
For someone who was extremely shy and quiet and grew up without any filmi dreams — they hit him quite late, when he was in Class XI — it was stints in film schools in Mumbai and Los Angeles that helped Chay shed his inhibitions. “My holidays in Hyderabad would be spent on films sets visiting my father and uncle, or in the studios; I was gradually drawn to films.”
Chay now lives in Hyderabad amid a family steeped in films. At home, father Nagarjuna and brother Akhil are into films, as are his cousins — Rana Daggubati, Sumanth and Sushanth.
“But, we rarely discuss movies, filmi gossip or who’s doing what at home, unless it is to strategise just before a release. My father’s only advice is to ‘do what makes you happy’, and I follow it religiously.”
After all, says Chay, even his dad is a competitor! “He manages to connect with the same audience that I do. It amazes me that he does this at 50-plus! There’s so much to look up to and learn from him.
We work in an industry where we can be replaced if two or three films fail. To have lasted this long is a huge achievement. And, he experiments with genres, roles…”
While Chay takes criticism and negative reviews in his stride and tolerates speculation on his private life, he allows anger to step in only when friends and family are targeted. “Till then, I stay quiet. But, the minute that line is breached, I come out and take a stand. That’s non-negotiable.”
The actor still visits Chennai once a month. And, yes, Gangotree finds a space in his itinerary. “Sadly, now, I parcel the chaat and take it to the sets or home!”
The launch of the Tollywood Thunder jersey at INK 303 on Khader Nawaz Khan Road was a star-studded affair, with a slew of actors. This franchise of Celebrity Badminton League is owned by people based in Chennai — entrepreneur Nandiniy Vijay, hotelier Sagar Pentela and cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Dheeraj of Apollo Hospitals.
The team comprises captain Sudheer Babu, Tharun Kumar, Kaushal Manda, Satyadev, Anil, Naveen, Krish Chaitanya, Nikhil Siddharth and actresses Sanjana, Seerat Kapoor, Tejaswani and Apoorva.
Sudheer, of Bhale Manchi Roju and Baaghi fame, is a former professional badminton player. “I have not played for nearly 15 years now, and this is a great opportunity to get back to a game I love,” he says. Sudheer will also double up as coach, teaching fellow-actors the intricacies of the game. “The team has been working really hard on its game for the past month,” he adds.
