With the stars
Doing a Thums-up ad with Chiranjeevi was a dream and a passport to enter the
film world. Chiranjeevi was always my role model (he started from scratch
and worked hard to reach the position he is at today). Initially, I just
posed for a poster where the face was not visible. I was excited even to do
that - when Chiranjeevi told me my face wouldn't be seen, I immediately
replied "Standing next to you is enough".
Chiranjeevi has always encouraged me. He makes an upcoming actor comfortable
and gives him time to perform. Venkatesh is also a gem of a person, and we
share a wonderful rapport. Perhaps a bit of his spirituality has rubbed on
to me. I want to work with him again.
My first film Aidho Thareeku ran for just five days. I did small roles in
Gowri and Yuvasena and acted with Venkatesh in Sankranti and Lakshmi.
Chiranjeevi remembered me and I was cast in Shankardada M B B S (in the role
initially played by Jimmy Shergill). I did small roles initially, to get
close to the audience. I wanted them to feel I was part of the industry. If
you do a movie as a hero, maybe 100,000 people will see you. But, if you act
in a movie involving a megastar, crores of people will watch you. After
Sankranthi, I got four offers as a hero but refused them all because I
didn't like the subjects and wasn't confident about people coming to see me.
Venkatesh also asked me to wait for a while before signing films as a hero.
Acting with Chiranjeevi and Venkatesh is like schooling in cinema. One
learns how big actors are dedicated and innovative, how they work on their
scenes, how they meet their fans. They treat human beings as human beings
and don't feel as if they are stars.
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