My dad helps me a lot: Sumanth Ashwin

Hyderabad: Producer M.S. Raju’s son, actor Sumanth Ashwin, is happy that his film Kerintha is a hit. In fact, three of his last four films made money and the actor too has been lauded for his performances.

“It’s fantastic that Kerintha became a superhit. I am planning my career step by step to build a platform,” says Sumanth. “Recently, I went to Vizianagaram for promotions and people were calling me by my character’s name. I am very happy that people liked the film so much. It gives me great encouragement,” he says.

When pointed out that many compared the film with Happy Days, Sumanth says that the two are not the same. “The genre of these two films is the same, but the stories are completely different. Our film is nowhere related to Happy Days,” he says.

Recently in Srikakulam, Sumanth’s team was greeted with eggs as a character spoke in a Srikakulam accent, which the locals resented. “Cinema is an art and we can’t put any limitations on that. If we have to always consider castes, names, regions, etc., we can’t make a film. In this film, the character is not representing a particular region. He comes from a particular place and he is one of them. We never told the audience that people from the region are all like this character,” says Sumanth, adding that the idea was to entertain and not hurt any sentiments.

About his team being attacked in Srikakulam, he says, “I was surprised when we came back to our vehicle. We decided not to bother too much about the incident.”

Speaking about his father M.S. Raju’s hand in shaping his career, Sumanth says, “He is always there for me. People had suggested a few things about this character in Kerintha. I was confused about my body language, emotions and other things, so I went to my dad for advice. He immediately told me to watch NTR’s portrayal of Lord Krishna in Mayabazar. Though I had watched it many times, I saw it again. That’s how my dad helps me and that’s how my character got good acclaim too,” says the actor.

Sumanth, who has been stereotyped as a “lover boy”, adds, “Personally, I don’t like love stories. But I have to choose my subject depending upon my age and body language. If I take one wrong step, whatever I have gained will be in vain. So I am creating a platform to build myself. I personally like sci-fi and fantasy films. But I can’t force the producer to do whatever I like. I wanted the producer to gain from my film and when a success streak is going on, I can’t take a risk with an experiment,” says the actor.

Shooting for his upcoming project Columbus is 60 per cent complete. “This is another romantic comedy. Apart from this, I have signed another film, which will start soon,” Sumanth says.