I’ve lost confidence on multilinguals: Nagarjuna

The actor talks about the horror-genre which he tried for the first time and his future projects
I’ve lost confidence on multilinguals: Nagarjuna

After dabbling with different genres, for the first time, actor Nagarjuna is taking on the horror genre with Raju Gari Gadhi 2. “This is a horror-comedy film and it’s an unexplored genre in my career. I play a mentalist, who reads the minds of the people. The role is more of drama and less on comedy. I spoke to one of the popular mentalists before taking up this role and within a few minutes of my meeting with him, he surprised me with his amazing skills. I have his number saved on my mobile and when I get any doubt, I pick up my phone and seek his inputs.”

The project was reportedly inspired by Malayalam film Pretham. “It’s not a faithful remake as we have only taken the core plot of Pretham. We made a few changes to the script to suit our sensibilities.” Interestingly, the 57-year-old actor’s soon-to-be daughter-in-law, actress Samantha, also shares the screen with him in the film. “She plays a ghost in the film and the actual drama unfolds between us.”

Speaking of ghosts, does Nag believe in their existence? “If God exists, then ghosts do exist. Although I haven’t had any paranormal experience, right from my childhood, I don’t take the chance of watching a horror film as I fear of spooky moments and scary sound effects. But, it feels exciting to be a part of such film.” The actor was all praise for director Ohmkar. “He (Ohmkar) is a devoted perfectionist, who is stern on minute details and doesn’t compromise at all. It feels good to have worked with him in RGG2. As for the film’s progress, except some patch work, entire shooting is completed. The re-recording is underway and the first copy should be readied by September 10.”

The King actor also spilled the beans about his next project Bangarraju, a followup to Soggade Chinni Nayana. “I’m eagerly waiting to do it. Director Kalyan Krishna had pitched two storylines but I’m not pleased with them. The project might take some time and will go on floors only if he arrives with a good plot. I don’t want Bangarraju to be a sequel to Soggade,” confides Nag.

Reports are doing rounds that Nag was approached to play a crucial role in Mohanlal-starrer multilingual Mahabharatha. He clarifies, “Director Sukumaran had initiated the talks with me some time ago for Karna’s role. But, nothing is finalised yet and I’m not too sure how long does it take for things to shape up.”

The actor is quite happy with the way things are moving both professionally and personally. “I have tasted success as a producer with Ra Randoi Veduka Chuddam. I’m looking forward to the release of Naga Chaitanya’s Yuddham Sharanam followed by his wedding with Samantha. The wedding is going to be a simple affair in both Hindu and Catholic traditions on October 6. After that, I will host a grand function in Hyderabad for the fraternity and friends,” says Nag who is also simultaneously shooting for Raju Gari Gadhi 2 and producing Akhil’s second film Hello.

Asked if he has any plans to take Hello to other languages, he explains, “In the past, I released some of my films in other languages but they didn’t work out. So, I lost confidence on multilinguals which are usually tricky. For such films, the priorities for the director changes by the day and I don’t want to take any chances with Hello. My priority is to complete the film in Telugu and only time will decide about these things.”

The actor hasn’t watched Vijay Devarakonda-starrer Arjun Reddy but maintains that he didn’t find the usage of swear words objectionable. “I haven’t seen it but I am told it has been doing well. What’s the harm in putting them in dialogues if it was awarded an A certificate? Moreover, using abusive words is quite common in real life, too. So why double standards?,” reasons Nag.

Do mainstream actors welcome this trend? Pat comes the reply, “I remember Ram Gopal Varma’s Satya had expletives. The usage has always been there in films, especially in Bollywood. When Hindi cinema is becoming realistic, why can’t we be? If a role demands such slang, an actor should definitely do it.”

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