After setting the box office on fire with Raja The Great, it’s Touch Chesi Choodu next, hopes actor Ravi Teja. Helmed by debut director Sirikonda Vikram, the rom-com sees him donning a cop’s role.
“I have played a cop earlier, but this isn’t serious like earlier. This guy is sincere and tough but also sarcastic, witty and funny,” he reveals, adding that it was a great experience working with director Sirikonda. “Although he is debuting, he has a great deal of experience that he got working as assistant director for many films. So, he is confident and has good conviction,” states Ravi.
Praising the female leads in Touch Chesi Choodu, Ravi says, “Both Seerat and Raashi Khanna have done a very good job.” In fact, the former made a cameo appearance in his earlier film. “She is a good friend of both me and director Anil. Agreeing to do the small part shows her greatness,” he says.
It is to be noted that in most of his films, the actor has taken up similar roles. Why doesn’t he try something new? “I experimented a lot, but such films didn’t do well at the box office. They failed commercially, so now my priority is entertainment. Films like Naa Autograph, Sambho Siva Sambho, Ee Abbayi Chala Manchodu and Nenithe, are good films that didn’t run well,” he explains.
Instead, the actor tries to ensure that his films are loaded with entertainment and are told in an unusual fashion. “When we add humour, the narration of a story automatically becomes different depending on a director’s style. There’s humour in films by two different directors but the approach varies,” he says.
Apart from Telugu, Ravi is fluent in Hindi and Tamil too, but hasn’t explored cinema in those domains. “But I am open to trying out an interesting opportunity. The Telugu market has widened now, thanks to S.S. Rajamouli. Recently, I went to Darjeeling and many people approached and encircled me. Initially I thought they had mistaken me for someone else, but later learned that they had watched many of my films dubbed in Hindi. The viewership for Telugu films is huge now,” reflects the actor.
Ravi is a huge fan of Amitabh Bachchan. Is there an influence on him? “Yes, there certainly is some influence of him in me and you can see that in my films,” he tells us.
Meanwhile, Ravi, who’s presently working on director Kalyan Krishna’s next will team up with Srinu Vaitla soon. Is he trying to help the director who’s seen a spate of flops? “No! No one does that in this industry. I like the story and that’s why I am working with Srinu,” Ravi clarifies.
When asked about taking up direction in future, Ravi says he wants to do it for sure. “However, now my concentration is on acting only but I certainly will explore direction. I can’t say when though. But I won’t act that film,” he concludes.
