'I aim to be an irreplaceable actor'

Veteran fight master Vijay’s son Rahul is making his debut as a lead actor with Ee Maya Peremito. Touted to be a romcom, the film is being directed by Ramu Koppula and features Kavya Thapar as the female lead.

The young actor says it was his father’s dream to see him as a hero. “I was always interested in films, but never thought I would choose a career in it. My sister and I used to accompany my dad to the shoots and were always in awe of his craft. He asked me if I was interested in acting when I was in class 8. When my answer was yes, he was really excited as it was his dream to see me as a hero. The audience always associates with the onscreen characters of the heroes and the admiration, respect and popularity they draw is phenomenal. Perhaps, my father wanted me to have that (smiles),” says Rahul.

The debutant got trained in martial arts, gymnastics and dance. “To get the flexibility and to mould myself into the character, I gained expertise in martial arts, trained in Kuchipudi and gymnastics too. I also learnt acting from Devadas Kanakala, Lakshmi Devi Kanakala and Satyanand master before donning the greasepaint for this film,” the actor adds.

Rahul knows he is too young to do an action film and reveals that he is happy to work in a love story in his debut. “Any actor’s career goes through a certain graph. I’m still in my 20s and want to play roles of my age. I'd like to do all kinds of films, but I don’t want to get typecast as an action hero in the initial stages of my career. I will work in action films only after I gain adequate experience. As there are many superstars who are at ease doing action films, I think I better continue to do films that are closer to my age,” he says.

Interestingly, director Sukumar came forward to produce Ee Maya Peremito, but things didn’t materialise and eventually, Rahul’s father Vijay backed the project. Asked about this, Rahul explains, “Sukumar garu was pre-occupied with Rangasthalam. So, we requested him to focus on his work and decided to produce this film.”

Calling Ee Maaya Peremito a breezy love story, Rahul says, “I can vouch that it’s not a routine love story. The treatment and the narrative will be refreshing.”  The actor avers that he has certain dreams related to cinema. “I want to float between different genres and am keen to choose roles that are important and unconventional. My aim is to be an irreplaceable actor,” he says.