Roshan and Anaswara Rajan play the lead roles in Champion, which is set to hit the screens on December 25. The film is a period drama directed by Pradeep Advaitham and produced under the banner of Swapna Cinemas, with the prestigious Vyjayanthi Movies backing the project.
Talking about the story at the pre-release event held on Sunday, Roshan said, “The story is set in 1948. Everyone is aware of the history of Bhairanpally village and the incident that took place there. Using that backdrop, we created a fictional character named Michael.” For the film, Roshan had to master the Telangana dialect. “I speak Telugu fluently, but I had to learn the Telangana slang for this role. Director Pradeep helped me a lot in getting the accent right,” he said.
Roshan also addressed the three-year gap after PellisandaD. “Many actors make their debut at around 25, but I did my first film at 21. So it may look like a break, but I feel I returned at the right time,” he said.
Reflecting on the time away from the screen, Roshan said the phase helped him grow as an actor. “To perform well, one needs to understand human emotions, and that comes with maturity. These three years taught me a lot, and it has been a happy learning journey,” he shared.
He added that the Champion team took several precautions while handling the subject. “The story is set in Telangana during a time when India had gained Independence, but Hyderabad hadn’t. Art director Thota Tharani garu did extensive research for the sets and provided many references. The film is rich in drama, and we also conducted multiple workshops,” Roshan explained.
The actor was all praise for action choreographer Peter Hein. “He did a fantastic job and designed some excellent action sequences. I did suffer a few bruises and minor injuries, but that’s part of doing an action film,” he said, adding that every character in the film has its own importance. Roshan also revealed that action is one of his favourite genres.
Roshan’s father Srikanth is known for his family-oriented films. Asked if he plans to follow the same path, Roshan said, “I want to explore all genres. Audiences have evolved, and repeating the same kind of roles can become monotonous. I want to do meaningful cinema and entertain the audience with my performances.”
When asked if he always wanted to become an actor, Roshan replied with honesty. “No, I actually wanted to be a cricketer, and even my father wanted the same. But somewhere along the way, I developed an interest in films and continued here.” Interestingly, Roshan’s character in Champion plays football. “I played football during my school days, so that helped. For Michael, football is his driving force,” he said, adding that he also learned horse riding during his childhood.
He believes Champion changed him as a person. “This film has made me more patient. You will see a new actor in me, and I hope people appreciate both my performance and the three-year break,” he said.