‘Zero interest in business’

“I was supposed to work with Krishna Vamsi after my second film, Magadheera, but it did not work out. But we remained in touch. Now, when I wanted to do a complete family drama, I immediately approached Krishna Vamsi. He is the best when it comes to family dramas and emotions,” says the actor.

Siding with the director who hasn’t had a good run lately, Ram Charan adds, “I always believe in the right subject. If I like the story I go with the director and never see whether he has delivered a blockbuster or a flop in his earlier film.”

He adds that as a director, Vamsi never fails. “He is a very talented director and though the subjects he chooses may not always click, but as a director he is always good.”

About GAV, he says, “It’s a gripping family drama told in a convincing format.” He adds that while he is all for experimenting, it should not be at the cost of the producer. “I would like to experiment, but at the same time, the producer shouldn’t lose money,” says Charan.

There was also Prakash Raj’s last-minute entry into the film’s cast, following changes suggested by Chiranjeevi.

“After seeing the rushes, we felt a certain sense of nativity was missing. Prakash Raj, after he entered, completely changed the film’s feel. He is like S.V. Ranga Rao of today’s cinema certainly one of the finest actors we have today.”

There were also rumours that Charan was considering a project with Mani Ratnam and while the actor admits there was a “script narration”, he says the project didn't really take off.

“Mani Ratnam is now making the film with Mammootty’s son and when you watch the film you will understand that it would not have suited us. I will definitely work with the director once our commitments are over and it’s going to be a bi-lingual flick.”

“Yes, it did go wrong somewhere. Sometimes, you miss the character or may be the director’s input is wrong or my own involvement in the character was not right. But I don’t blame anybody for it. Apoorva (Lakhia) is a good friend of mine and I have no regrets about doing Zanjeer.”

Charan adds he is now planning to do another Hindi film, with director Ashutosh Gowarikar. “He is busy with his Hindi film and I have to complete my projects here, and I definitely want to do my next Hindi film,” he says.

Charan had hit headlines a few months ago with the launch of Turbo Megha a regional airline network headquartered in Hyderabad. “It’s actually my wife, Upasana, who is doing it. I have zero interest in business. You have to be of stable mind to start a new venture but I, like all artistes, am an emotional person.

My wife wanted me as brand ambassador.” He adds that he can’t think anything other than movies while the wife can’t think about anything other than business. During the interaction, Charan also spoke about his father’s milestone 150th film, which his mum Surekha will be producing.

“We have heard two or three subjects and will finalise one. My mother has been wanting to produce a film for a long time and yes, she will be the producer for this 150th film.”