Nithiin: Hereafter, I am going to take it one film at a time

One of the most eligible bachelors of Telugu cinema, Nithiin is all set to tie the knot with his long-time girlfriend Shalini on April 16. His love story is nothing short of a typical Tollywood drama. "I met Shalini through common friends in 2012. Since then, we have been seeing each other and it took us four-five years to be in the same space. We decided to take our relationship to the next level last year, convinced our parents and got their consent for the marriage. However, we decided to keep it a secret until the wedding is fixed formally. Also, Shalini was pursuing her Masters so I didn't want to bring her to the center of the media glare. It was difficult to keep my love story a closely guarded secret for all these years," reveals the actor with a beaming smile.  

It's going to be a grand summer wedding with all the events, including mehndi, sangeet, engagement, and wedding, to be held in Dubai at a luxury beach hotel. "I have always wanted my wedding to be a private affair with only close friends and family members attending it. The engagement ceremony will be held on April 15 followed by the wedding the next day. We will host a grand reception for the industry people and media on April 21 in Hyderabad," says Nithiin.

The actor reveals that his marriage news has evoked funny reactions from his colleagues in the industry. "Nani has been teasing me saying, 'Welcome to the club of married actors'. Rana Daggubati was feeling singled out since I will no longer be a bachelor (smiles). On the other hand, Varun Tej seems a bit worried that his parents would now start pressurising him to get married. I am enjoying all the fun and it feels good to be relieved from the burden of single status at 35," he says.

2020 is going to be a busy year for Nithiin. While he had no release in 2019, he spent the entire year straddling the sets of three films — Bheeshma, Rang De, and an untitled Chandrasekhar Yeleti-directorial. The 35-year-old actor says that shooting for these films was exhausting, both physically and mentally. "While people say I must be lucky to have a busy year with back-to-back releases, it was really tedious to work in three films around the same time. There were umpteen things to be taken care of and it was quite difficult to detach from these characters. I didn’t have time to relax and even if I had a day-off, my directors would keep me occupied discussing the next day’s shot or by drafting call sheets (laughs). Hence, I have decided to work only on one film at a time from now," explains the Ishq actor.

His first release of the year, Bheeshma, will be out this Friday. "I play a meme creator, who is desperate to have a girlfriend in his life. The film comes with hilarious entertainment and a social message about organic farming. I have danced a lot in this film. After Dil and Sye, this is the film I have enjoyed doing the most. I am happy with the way my director Venky Kudumula translated his vision onscreen," he says.

Nithiin's track record vis-a-vis the box-office performance of his film has been uneven, but what’s been consistent is his penchant for experiments. "My last three films (Lie, Chal Mohan Ranga, and Srinivasa Kalyanam) didn't do well. Naturally, I am feeling the pressure," he admits.

However, the actor asserts that he is learning from his mistakes and staying positive. "I'm actually disappointed with the failure of Lie, which I always thought would do well. Halfway through Chal Mohana Ranga, I realised that it had some script issues. But this was never the case with Lie. I was quite apprehensive about the reception of Srinivasa Kalyanam. I think too much sermonising about the importance of marriage in an era of live-in relationships didn't appeal to the audience. Not every movie will become commercially successful, but I have moved on. I made a few mistakes and learned a lot from my failures. I am consciously choosing scripts and it feels good to do some exciting stuff," he says.

Nithiin has also signed two new films. "I am teaming up with director Merlapaka Gandhi for the Telugu remake of Andhadhun. I am also committed to work in Chal Mohan Ranga director’s next, Powerpet. The film will be made into two instalments and it will go on floors once I wrap up Gandhi’s film," he signs off.