A veteran of innumerable films in the Telugu industry, actor Venkatesh is just days away from his birthday and upcoming film release Venky Mama, which also stars his nephew Naga Chaitanya. “It’s not just entertainment, there are a lot of emotions too. It’s a very powerful story and will be a real treat for the audience,” says the actor.
Apparently, their real-life mamaalludu chemistry came in handy for the film. “That’s how he addresses me in real life too,” says Venkatesh, who is all praise for his nephew.
“Chaitanya grew up in front of me and is just like my son. We are quite alike too — mostly quiet people who can have a good conversation if needed. He is very disciplined and has got great timing, he is a producer’s actor. He is very sincere about his work and minds his own business. I am very happy to see him this way,” he says with pride.
Unfortunately, the film got delayed because of an injury the actor sustained. “I got injured while shooting a song. We couldn’t take a chance and hence, filming got delayed. And that pushed everything back,” the actor explains, adding, he had no clue about the release date also. Came to know about it along with everyone else.
“I don’t interfere with my films. Once I finish my project, I am detached. I follow the principle of exit and accept. If you’re not mentally prepared, you tend to worry about the result, but if you’re detached, the result never bothers you,” says the senior actor.
Toughest shoot
Venkatesh recalls that it was one of the most difficult shoots of his entire career. “We shot in Jammu and Kashmir and it was one of the toughest things in my career. I had to walk to the top of a glacier, which would take hours each day. Then, we would have to pack everything up and return,” says the actor, adding that the place was chosen for its snow.
Shared success
Interestingly, Venkatesh has the highest percentage of hits in the industry. However, the modest actor believes that other people also have a hand in his success. “I believe that I’ve made just one per cent contribution in the success of my career. The rest is all energy from outside. You are just a tiny thing in this whole universe,” he adds philosophically.
Doing remakes
Next up for Venkatesh is the remake of Tamil hit Asuran. However, many have expressed doubt over whether the film suits the actor or not.
“People have doubted my ability in the past too. But it took me just half an hour to decide about doing this film,” he says, adding that remakes surprisingly constitute 99 per cent of his success.
“When a great character comes along, I don’t mind doing it even if it’s a remake. I’ve never done this kind of role before and am dying to start the shoot,” he says, expressing confidence in director Srikanth Addala’s abilities. “He was ready with the script and we only made a few changes to suit our sensibilities,” he adds.
Meanwhile, the actor clarifies that he is not doing the remake of Hindi film De De Pyar De. “The script needed a lot of changes, so we decided to drop it,” he says.
Avid basketball fan
Apart from cricket, the Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu star reveals that he loves to watch basketball. “Recently, I visited the US and managed to get front row seats at a basketball match between the Lakers vs Toronto. It was so exciting and I was jumping like a kid! I am a hardcore fan of the sport and even watch at home when it comes live on TV,” he reveals, adding, “I can spend the whole day watching the game.”
