When we catch up with Varun Tej, whose Kanche has opened to roaring crowds, he is at the airport, fending off hysterical female attention. “Yes, there’s quite a lot of added female attention now,” admits the soft spoken actor. “But I don’t differentiate between male and female fans. For me both are equally important.”
Varun says his world changed the day he signed director Krish Jagarlamudi’s Kanche. “It was a turning point in my career. I am only two films old but very clear about my priorities. I want to be known as an actor.”
He had made an unusual choice with his debut film Mukunda. Says Varun, “That wasn’t a conventional role either. I deliberately chose not to take the mainstream route. Mukunda didn’t do well and I was advised to go more mainstream with my second film. But I was sure I wouldn’t do a massy film at this stage of my career.”
Varun admits he was blown over when he heard the script of Kanche. The response to the film and to Varun’s performance has been great. “I couldn’t have hoped for more. It’s like watching my own life from a distance. I can’t believe this is happening to me.”
Varun comes from a distinguished film family — the legendary Chiranjeevi is his uncle and Ram Charan and Allu Arjun are his cousins. Is he competition now for Charan Says Varun reverently, “All of us cousins grew up hero-worshipping my uncle (Chiranjeevi).
As for Charan, he’s more of a friend than a cousin. In fact, all of us second and third-generation actors from film families like Charan, Pawan Kalyan, Naga Chaitanya, Akhil Akkineni, Allu Arjund… we hang out together. We discuss each other’s works quite openly.
There’s no rivalry among us.” Varun admits it’s not easy being from a film family. “You get a lot of love from the fans for being who you are. But finally, you’ve to prove you’re worthy of that love. I’ve to be very careful about the work I do. After Kanche, audiences will expect me to do something different every time.”
Varun’s next release is Puri Jagannadh’s Maa Amma Mahalaxmi. He says, “It’s a very powerful mother-son story.” At 25, Varun says he is blissfully single. “The only thing in my life right now is my work.”
