Tollywood’s most-sought-after actor Raj Tharun, who shot to fame right from his debut Uyyala Jumpala, followed by two big hits Cinema Choopista Mama and Kumari 21F, is gearing up for the release of Seethamma Andarlu Ramayya Sitralu, which hits theatres this Friday. What’s more, the movie will create a record if it becomes a hit, as no other in the industry has had four successive victories. However, the Vizag-born actor — who is reportedly one of Tollywood’s highest paid new-comers, charging over Rs 1 crore per film — says he was never interested in acting.
“I wanted to direct. I used to make short films and upload them on YouTube,” he says, adding that he has already made 52 short films so far. So when producer Ram Mohan called him up for Uyyala Jumpala, he said he was looking to direct, joining the team as a screen and dialogue writer.
But during the audition for the female lead, he was the one reading out the dialogues of the lead actor. “We auditioned nearly 30 girls, but the producer didn’t like any of them. He ended up choosing me,” Raj chuckles.
“They had already decided to cast me in the lead and without knowing that, I had been showing them photos of the other boys,” he recalls. , “Opportunities come rarely and I had to make the most of it,” he adds.
His first film got him a lot of appreciation for his natural acting. Among those, he treasures the appreciation from actor Nagarjuna and producer D. Suresh Babu.
“After the release, when I met Nag sir, he was talking to me, but I couldn’t hear anything he was saying as fireworks were going off in my head. After all, I was meeting him for the first time. It was a great honour,” he says.
After Uyyala Jumpala, he got many offers, but didn’t rush in to sign anything. “I was just 21 and wanted to choose the right subject, even if it took time, so I waited,” he says. That’s how his next movie Cinema Choopista Mama, also turned out to be a big success.
“I go with my own judgement and never seek advice. Luckily, I have chosen the right subjects till now,” says the actor, who believes he has been very lucky to have worked with big technicians like Sukumar, Ratna Velu and Devi Sri Prasad in his third film itself.
“Sukumar garu called and spoke to me for 20 minutes. When the director narrated the story, I realised it was a different subject and decided to do it. That’s how Kumari 21F happened,” he recalls.
“Success makes me more responsible towards choosing better scripts. It’s great, but I am not under any pressure because I am practical,” he says. He is not nervous when the release nears, even for his debut because “I could always turn back to direction”.
Now 23, Raj leads a simple life and his world revolves around Vizag, friends and films. He doesn’t feel any competition with the star kids either. “I personally feel that there is no competition. I’m quite friendly with many of the young actors. Everyone has their own place. I don’t believe that only people who have good backup get films,” Raj observes.
The actor feels he is a boring person. “I am a big boring person. I am not social and hate parties. If there is no shooting, I prefer to stay at home watching movies or sleeping." He has nine dogs at home and spends most of the time with hanging out them.
Meanwhile, Raj has signed movies with big banners — one with Manchu Vishnu is almost completed, one with Geetha Arts and another one produced by Dil Raju.
