Nagarjuna on Sri Ramadasu
The quartet has repeated its success after Annamayya. Do you think you are lucky to portray two historical characters from Andhra Pradesh?
I am definitely lucky these roles have come to me. I am sure every actor would have wanted to do something like this. I would have been a little upset if Ramadasu had gone to somebody else.
You recently said that the younger generation, particularly children between 8 and 10, praised the film and wanted to know more about the Ramayana. Hanuman, an animation film, was a big hit. Does this signify a revival of interest in our past?
It's a phase. Everything is a cycle. In my generation, we were somehow attracted to the West. Going to America and studying there was a big thing. That infatuation or craze has died down. I think if I have realised there is nothing anywhere else, the younger generation is realising it now. They are beginning to like the culture. Knowing about the Ramayana and Bhagavad Gita is important because this is where we come from. I feel the language spoken in Sri Ramadasu was very good. It was nice to hear unpolluted Telugu. It is difficult to speak Telugu now without using English words.
Could you talk about your voice portal and how it is helpful to you?
The voice portal has become popular in countries like China, Korea and Japan where people cannot speak English but know how to use a computer. When Nowpas (a Hyderabad-based company) came to me, I thought it was a brilliant idea for me to speak. Even my fans or others, instead of typing a cold message, would like to speak to me. I like that. During the release of my film, it helped me. I would like to listen to their comments. I have also given a few replies. I can't do it every day though. I do it once a month when the Nowpas people come with everything ready on a laptop. Most questions are the same, so I am addressing them in a general way. The day the voice portal opened, it had 28,000 messages. I cannot reply to all of them (laughs).