Nara Rohit aims high

Nara Rohit, who awaits the release of Aatagallu, is keen to expand his market with his next projects. The actor also expresses his desire to make a crossover to Tamil.  “I’m looking at stories which are set in a bigger canvas than what I have done so far. My next film, to be directed by Chaitanya Dantuluri, is bilingual in Telugu and Tamil. I’ve realised that we can’t work in a bilingual for the sake of it as the budget should appeal to everyone,” he says.

Asked if he is strategising his career prospects after having tasted a failure with Balakrishnudu, he replies, “I was disappointed with the failure. Even though I’m winning accolades for my performances, my films are not performing well commercially. Keeping these experiences in mind, I have decided not to experiment too much. Instead, I want to strike a balance by incorporating commercial elements in the script. Had Balakrishnudu been released a decade ago, it wouldn’t have ended up as a flop. My focus is on picking stories which amaze me and entertaining people with my performances.”

As the conversation veers to his upcoming release Aatagallu, Rohit says he was apprehensive of doing this film initially, as he wanted to do an out-and-out commercial entertainer with director Paruchuri Murali. “When Murali narrated the script, I was pleased with the storyline. But I was looking for more and wanted to work in a commercial film under his direction. I asked him to come back with another story, but a few days later, he met me again and convinced me to sign this film saying that my body language would be ideal to pull off the role of a director.”

Elaborating on the film, he adds, “Jagapathi Babu plays a criminal lawyer and the film focuses on the mind games of our characters. The conflict point and how we both manage to deal with the issue has been told in a convincing and engaging way.”

As for his upcoming films, the Appatlo Okadundevaadu actor says, “I have completed shooting for the multi-starrer Veera Bhoga Vasantha Rayalu. It is loosely based on Kalagnanam written by Sri Pothuluri Veera Brahmam garu. I’m also committed to doing Shabdam, in which I play a speech-impaired person. Throughout the film, my inner voice speaks for me as a voiceover. I have also agreed to work in a film each directed by SD Chakravarthy and Chaitanya Dantuluri of Banam fame.”