Sundeep Kishn: I no longer want to play villain roles in commercial films

Mazaka, the upcoming Sundeep Kishn-starrer, is a conventional comedy entertainer that might appeal to those familiar with director Trinadha Rao Nakkina’s filmography. Sundeep Kishn states that he was consciously looking to do a family entertainer. Recalling his last few films like Michael, Ooru Peru Bhairavakona and Raayan, which were intense in both genre and treatment, Sundeep notes, “It’s been a while since people saw me in a light-hearted, colorful film. It’s my good fortune that Prasanna gaaru and Trinadha gaaru came up with the Mazaka offer at the right time. This is also my first big holiday release in my 15-year career.”

The actor recalls how he had the epiphany about doing a family entertainer around the time of his last major Telugu release Ooru Peru Bhairavakona. “It is not a happy film as such. At its core, it had a dark story. Even aesthetically, it had a dark palette. However, when family audiences and young women praised some of its emotional aspects, I realised the need to cater to that segment. Even if 40 out of 100 audience members really like my film, it’s a job well done. That’s when I instantly decided to do a family film.”

Sundeep says that this insistence of being part of a wholesome family entertainer has influenced many decisions during the making of Mazaka as well, including the music. He praises composer Leon James for bringing a flavour to the film that adds to its commercial appeal. He adds, “I told him that I want a blockbuster album this time, and his urbanised music brings a lot of freshness to a mass entertainer like Mazaka.”

Before Ooru Peru Bhairavakona, Sundeep Kishn had a big release in 2023 with Michael, which unfortunately didn’t perform well at the box office. The actor reflects on his script choices and how it has evolved over time. He says, “Earlier, if I liked a story and felt sure about producers and distributors recovering their cost, I would do that film. Michael was my first attempt to have a box-office hit, but it didn’t achieve big numbers.” However, the actor expresses confidence in Mazaka's theatrical performance. “If box office is the battle, sure, I will fight it. However, I have just started it,” he states.

Further talking about his career plans, Sundeep Kishn looks back on some of the negative roles he did earlier, and why he wouldn’t like to play a villain again. Elaborating on his theory, Sundeep notes, “I don’t want to play villain roles in commercial films anymore. I can make exceptions for new-age movies, where you have a role with a negative shade amidst a bunch of powerful characters. However, I won’t play a villain in traditional hero-villain stories.” Sundeep mentions this as the reason he opted out of Prashanth Varma’s Hanu-Man.

While he describes his upcoming bilingual project with Jason Sanjay as a new-age action entertainer, Sundeep emphasises that makers shouldn’t lose touch with their roots, the original flavour of mainstream Telugu cinema. He explains, “I describe it as the ‘home meal flavour’ where there is nothing too confusing. If one notices, until 2014, our mainstream movies had the same filmmaking language, even when they told unusual stories.” He goes on to add, "Mazaka has that local flavour."

He expresses his admiration for director Trinadha Rao Nakkina's ability to crack the comedy formula. “I have been a fan of his work since his debut film Mem Vayasuku Vacham, which was beautiful. I keep telling him that he should adapt the film for current times, because its core emotion will still resonate with the audience. He knows the grammar for every scene in his script, the performance beat for each moment, what flow it should have. I marvel at how he keeps delivering hits in the same genre.”

Besides Jason Sanjay’s film, Sundeep’s upcoming projects include Super Subbu, Netflix’s first Telugu original series. The actor adds that he wants the Telugu audience to be proud of his association with such projects. “Super Subbu is a show that will have an international reach, at par with other Hindi series that are present at the platform. I'm glad these two projects are in a space that Telugu audience will feel good about, and that a Telugu actor is part of them,” he concludes.