At his Manikonda residence, you see a relaxed and mature Rajeev Kanakala who’s grown wiser from all the decisions, both right and wrong, that he’s taken. Last seen in Allu Arjun’s Sarrainodu, the actor admits this is technically his second innings in cinema.
Having been in the industry for 30 years he knows it in and out, he says. “Now when a story writer comes and narrates my part or the story, I have a better idea of how it may pan out. Some scripts excite me but I know they’re difficult to execute. But there are ways to put that out to the storyteller; if I don’t do that well, it’s a war zone. I still can’t deny the unpredictability in films. You expect certain things to happen but they may not turn out that way in the end.”
Rajeev who will be seen next in Janatha Garage, finds the stage he is in, somewhere between a young and an experienced actor, more interesting. He can now impart some inputs and also continue his learning curve. “I have to say, the learning bit is more. Youngsters feel they’ve already arrived as a star after just a couple of films.”
Working on Kundanapu Bomma (which releases on June 24) proved different. “Nagineedu sir, despite all his experience was one of the jolliest persons on the sets, mingling with everyone easily. The leads (Sudhakar Komakula, Chandini Chowdary, Sudheer Varma) who were introverts initially, came for help. There was healthy competition as the camera started rolling and we improvised.” The actor plays an uncle to the female lead in the film, a role that has him don a rural getup after a long time.
He also features in a short-film titled Gurukulam , directed by BVR Siva Kumar, that’s doing well on the festival circuit, the latest being BSFF (Bangalore Short Film Fest).
Rajeev adds, “The digital medium is definitely increasing an actor’s shelf life, but the makers should focus on the quality, make it a point to discuss the script with the team and also take up some training.”
Happy that the film industry is changing,he says it’s a blessing for actors as makers move towards character-driven cinema.
“We are building up that niche multiplex audience now, so if content is good, people are ready to accept old or new actors .”
