A painting of Hanuman by Ramesh Gorjala occupies pride of place on one wall. On another, there’s an artist’s version of Chiranjeevi sporting a cowboy hat, inspired by one of his earlier hits. The hall is teeming with people when Chiranjeevi enters. He looks around, greets everyone with a cheerful smile and remarks, “If I have to do individual interviews with all of you, it will keep me here till the release date. So let’s just talk,” throwing the floor open for questions.
He’s returning to the screens a decade after Shankardada Zindabad with Khaidi No.150 , a remake of A.R. Murugadoss’s Tamil hit, Kaththi . For a year before Khaidi No.150 was announced, there were speculations on what he would choose for his comeback film, which will also mark his 150th.
The question on everyone’s mind is why he chose a remake over a possible original story. “I heard many stories for a year. There were some good subjects, but I was aware of the expectations that would come with my 150th film. We wanted something in the commercial format that would also be socially relevant,” he says, referring to his earlier films like Tagore and Stalin , which took a similar route.
Chiranjeevi and his son Ram Charan, also the producer of this film, saw Kaththi and felt it would fit the bill. Director V.V.Vinayak was Charan’s choice and the team decided to tweak some segments of the Tamil film. “Where the plight of farmers is discussed, we’ve incorporated statistics from Telugu speaking states,” says Chiranjeevi.
Going by the trailer, this seems be a masala-laden film. Chiranjeevi agrees, “The Tamil film doesn’t have a separate comedy track. But we brought in Brahmanandam.”
If teaming up with Kajal Agarwal, who has worked with Charan earlier, felt awkward, Chiranjeevi doesn’t show it. “When the first stills came out and the reception from fans was positive, I felt we could pull it off,” he quips.
Charan, he says, doubled up as his trainer and dietician. “Charan guided me in the gym and also asked me to cut down on carbs. I also feel that when you are at peace with yourself, it reflects in your looks. I don’t meditate. But I am at peace and maybe that shows.”
Returning at a time when the Telugu industry is all about 50-crore and 100-crore clubs, Chiranjeevi feels that beyond this box office maths, actors continue to have a healthy competition. He commends Balakrishna, whose historical Gautamiputra Satakarni also releases this week. “At the launch of his film, I told him that it was a triumph that he chose a historical and a director like Krish for his 100th project.”
Chirajeevi is curious, rather than nervous, about Khaidi’s prospects. “When I returned to the sets and soaked in that atmosphere of lights, camera, action, I felt at home. This is my arena. I felt nothing has changed, despite everything being digital these days,” he says.
On the film front, two more projects are lined up and he says he’s open to playing mature roles, “I’d love to do something like what Venkatesh is doing (in Guru , a remake of Saala Khadoos , Venkatesh plays a boxing coach).”
When the topic moves to politics, he insists, “I haven’t closed the door to politics. There’s a time for everything.”
Chiru speak
* The pre-release function made news for Nagababu’s comments targeting Ram Gopal Varma. “He was hurt with Varma’s comments about my film and reacted in his way. I don’t take comments to heart, but Nagababu reacted spontaneously,” says Chiranjeevi, adding that Varma is a good friend.
* “Earlier when we hosted functions, we had to keep in mind 1000s of people. Now fans turn up in lakhs. According to police estimates, more than 2 lakh people couldn’t get into the venue.”
* “I like the camaraderie among younger actors in my family, be it Allu Arjun, Charan or Varun Tej. Recently, Charan also holidayed with Mahesh and his family.”
* “As actors we all want to act till we die, provided people accept us. ANR lived and breathed cinema till he passed away.”
* “In the years I stayed away from acting, I never practiced dancing. But whenever I listen to a foot tapping number, I’d be thinking how I’d dance to it, even though I don’t show it. In a way, I’m like Shruti Haasan in RaceGurram. ”
