Only subject matters, not money: Nikhil

“This film itself is releasing in a bigger way — in more than 600 screens. It’s the biggest release for me till date. Also, I am reaching some remote villages with this film,” he says.

Nikhil says that for him, the story is more important than the producer, remuneration or the director. “My last three films have done well and the producers were happy with the revenue. But many people narrated the same kind of scripts to me and I did not want to do them. But at the same time, I have to sit and listen patiently to those scripts because I have to select the best from those stories. Every actor does the same,” says Nikhil.

After the success of Surya vs Surya too, Nikhil had been approached for similar kind of films. “They also offered me a high remuneration but I turned them down. If you pick a good subject, it can’t be a disaster.”

“Apart from the critics, I also get feedback from regular moviegoers. A person came out after watching the first half of a film and he said he didn’t want to watch the second half as it was boring. Then I realised and decided to take care of the subject. That’s how I chose a crime comedy followed by a mystery thriller and a love story,” says the actor.

He adds that he doesn’t have an image and that’s why he can choose different subjects. “For me, the budgets will work out and more than that I don’t have an image, so I am not afraid to experiment. For the big stars, it’s the budget and risk factor but nowadays, many big actors are also coming up with different subjects,” he says.

Talking about Sankarabharanam, he says he plays a typical NRI. “Before the film started, I shaved my head in Tirupati and left for the US for 45 days. I joined the New York Film Institute for a small course and at the same time, I observed the body language of NRIs. I also bought my outfits from there,” he says.

Sankarabharanam is also the title of an old classic directed by K. Viswanath and Nikhil says that his film will not spoil the name of the classic. “It’s a clean film without vulgarity. It may not be a great film but it won’t be a bad film, too,” he says.

In an upcoming film with V.I. Anand, he is going to romance three actresses. Avika Gor has already been confirmed as one of the female leads. “The film also has a fantasy element and it’s going to be made with a big budget, compared to my earlier films. I am very excited about the story,” he says.

He has also agreed to do the sequel of his earlier successful film Karthikeya. “It’s a complete sequel like Baahubali,” he says.

When asked about his marriage plans, Nikhil says, “My parents are putting pressure on me. I had told them that I would get married after two hits, but now I am greedy. They are looking for some alliances but right now, I am focusing on my films,” Nikhil says.