Turning film sets into homes
Today's Tollywood stars never miss an opportunity to bond with their families, even if it means taking them to work.
While yesteryear superstars like Krishna and Sobhan Babu never allowed their kids to drop in on their film sets, modern stars who have a hectic itinerary filled with erratic schedules and constant travel have chosen a different path.
Finding it increasingly challenging to spend time with their families, today’s stars seem to have finally fixed the problem — by bringing their families to the sets. Jr NTR, Mahesh Babu, Gopichand and S.S. Rajamouli are some of the trendsetters in this regard.
For Jr NTR, his son Abhay Ram is his world. The toddler recently paid his father a surprise visit along with his mother on the sets of Bigg Boss — much to the doting dad’s happiness. In fact, the actor celebrated his son’s second birthday on the sets of the reality show. But, this is not the first time that Abhay has seen his dad don the greasepaint.
“When I was shooting a long schedule (90 days) for Nannaku Prematho in the UK, I missed my son a lot. When my wife sent me a video of Abhay’s first walk (baby steps), it was very touching, and I missed it! So I want to be part of his growing years and give him my best time. He also came to the sets of Janatha Garage because whenever there’s an opportunity to see my kids and family, I’ll not lose out. When I spend time with him, I discover my unseen side.”
Meanwhile, a sneak peek into Mahesh Babu’s recent social media posts will tell you how much his daughter Sitara means to him. The superstar has been constantly posting adorable photos of his lil’ princess (as he calls her), and makes it a point to take his family to the sets if he’s missing them.
Recently, wife Namrata and daughter Sitara made their way to the sets of his upcoming film, SPYder, putting the actor on cloud 9.
“Our lives are centered around the kids and Mahesh always has family first in his list of priorities. In fact, that is our ‘me time’. When he returns home, he leaves everything outside the door; he’s just a husband and dad at home. It comes naturally to him. But whenever he has long schedules or is busy travelling, we drop in on his sets to catch up with him. He doesn’t want to miss out on spending time with Sitara, and likes playing with her. He’s been able to strike a perfect work-life balance,” says Namrata.
Following suit is actor Gopichand, who celebrated his son Virat Krishna’s second birthday on the sets of Gautham Nanda in Bangkok. “It was my son’s birthday and I didn’t want to miss out on the occasion, so I thought it’ll be a good idea to call them (my family) over to Bangkok to celebrate,” he says.
For filmmaker Rajamouli, the scenario is different, yet interesting. While his father Vijayendra Prasad pens scripts, wife Rama Rajamouli is a costume designer and Karthikeya, his son, works as second unit director. His extended family Keeravani and Srivalli were also involved with Baahubali, thus truly making it a family affair. He says that his family support has been phenomenal and largely responsible for his success.
“My family plays a pivotal role in my projects. They help me stay humble and in the right place. Be it work or personal life, family is always top priority,” he says.