Suhas: I want to explore all kinds of characters

Suhas has had an unconventional yet steadily burgeoning career. From acting in short films and sketches for the Chai Bisket YouTube channel, playing supporting roles in films, to headlining Colour Photo, Suhas has been thriving well. The new-age actor, who won the hearts of the audiences with his sincere portrayal of Jayakrishna, the oft-ridiculed working-class protagonist of the national award-winning film Colour Photo, is now back with Writer Padmabhushan. Living the proverbial full circle moment, Suhas's Writer Padmabhushan, which is all set to release this Friday, is produced by Chai Bisket Films, under whose aegis the 32-year-old actor began his career.

Excerpts from the conversation

How did your journey as the lead actor of Writer Padmabhushan begin?  

Prasanth (Shanmukh Prasanth, the director of Writer Padmabhushan) and I go way back. He was an assistant director in Colour Photo (2020) and later penned Family Drama (2021). He has also written the script for Nandan, a short film I acted in, which was produced by Chai Bisket six years ago. Prasanth discussed the story of Writer Padmabhushan once we finished filming Colour Photo. I loved the story and instantly asked Anurag and Sharath anna (Anurag Reddy and Sharath Chandra, the producers of Chai Bisket Films) to listen to it. They loved the story equally and green-lit the project. 

What excited you the most about this project? 

It is a wholesome entertainer. Everyone who has heard the story or watched the film so far loved the climax. It is a film you can watch with your entire family. Writer Padmabhushan is also choc-a-bloc with twists that will keep the audience engaged. There is a lot we have not revealed about the film. We are so happy that veteran actors like Ashish Vidyarthi and Rohini Molleti came forward to play Bhushan’s parents. They did complete justice to their roles. The film is otherwise full of newcomers, and we have put our heart and soul into this project. 

In the initial phase of your career, you have played supporting and antagonist roles. In a few days, you will have your first theatrical release as the protagonist with Writer Padmabhushan. And with a few more films---Ambajipeta Marriage Band and Anandrao Adventures-- in the pipeline, how do you analyse your career now?

From acting in sketches and short films in Chai Bisket to going on to working with directors like Hanu Raghavapudi and Shiva Nirvana as a supporting actor in Padi Padi Leche Manasu (2018) and Majili (2019), I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had these opportunities. Chai Bisket is the reason behind my confidence in the work I do today. It built the foundation for my career as an actor. Meanwhile, working with Hanu sir and Shiva Nirvana garu taught me the value of punctuality and professionalism. It is too early for me to strategize my career. I am still a newcomer. I want to explore all kinds of characters and get recognized as a good actor. 

Your character in the film, Bhushan, is a writer. How much of a writer are you in real life? 

(chuckles) I am not a writer at all. The closest I have come to writing is to ask my director on sets if I can improvise my dialogues in a certain way. Of course, when I used to act in sketch videos executed under a very hands-on collaborative environment, I did give my input to writers. But I have never been a full-fledged writer per se. 

Which of your roles has given you the most satisfaction, and why?

Colour Photo has given me the most satisfaction, considering it is my first ever film as a lead actor. But Majili has also been a pretty cool experience watching myself on the screen for the first time. That excitement was something else altogether.

Your film releases in a week. Are you feeling nervous?

I am feeling more excited than nervous right now. I'm also concerned about a few things. Most importantly, whether or not the audience will come all the way to theatres to watch a film starring me. I am hoping the content of Writer Padmabhushan speaks for itself and brings people to the halls via word-of-mouth.