Over his 18-year-long career in the industry, Naveen Chandra has carved a niche for himself with varying films like Andala Rakshasi, Ammu, and Month of Madhu, among others. However, for Naveen, 2024 has been all about thrills — quite literally. His upcoming film, Show Time, directed by Madhan Dhakshinamoorthy, is his fourth thriller film in a row, following 28 Degree Celsius, Blind Spot, and Eleven. It’s a pure coincidence, he clarifies, adding, “I know people must think that I am doing too many thrillers, but I think this is the right time for this film, to showcase another part of me as an actor where I am trying to make you laugh while doing something familiar.” The actor mentions how the element of humour sets Show Time apart, also talking about other distinct features of the film, Naveen adds, “Usually, thrillers mean more of murders, brutality, and cuss words. There is none of that here.”
The actor talks at length about his physical preparation for Show Time, where the story unfolds within a span of 15 hours. He says, “When the film starts, I will look fit and relaxed. However, as the tension-inducing incident happens, that fatigue in him starts showing. Your body develops neerasam (weakness). I showed it in my physicality, and my director-DOP duo ensured every nuance came out very well.” Naveen further elaborates on these nuances, adding, “When a situation is going down, your brain becomes active and you lose focus on rest. Until you get rid of it, you can’t even think about eating. I tried to capture that state of mind.”
Naveen states that he likes to go out of the city when he is not working, making conscious efforts to observe life outside his zone. “I love observing people, meeting them. I need a new atmosphere for that. If I go to a market or restaurant in Goa, there could be many things happening there – a couple spending quality time, a brawl, friends drinking — that’s the root of daily human life. I need this connection to maintain realism in my performances.” Naveen also talks about how stepping out is necessary to keep himself level-headed. “Actors get a lot of appreciation constantly. Sometimes I worry if any of this praise might get to my head. So I try to be in a space where I am just naive and blank, observing things, and exploring more characters.”
The Month of Madhu actor began his career at a time when a newer kind of storytelling was ushering in the Telugu industry. The actor has no qualms in admitting that the times have changed, compelling producers to chase formulas again. According to him, the lack of talented writer-directors is not one of the problems. Naveen explains, “There are new filmmakers who have made efforts to learn the craft and are now bringing in ambitious concepts without expanding budgets. Many of them work out logistics in a way where a big-scale film can be done on smaller budgets — but producers need to back them up. If we keep producing template stuff, the audience will stop expecting much from us.”
Naveen has very clear ideas on how to bring the audience back to theatres. “We need to go to public places and home-to-home for promotion, give an ad inside gated communities where 100 families live,” he asserts, adding, “Films are not the first entertainment option anymore. They have plenty of options. There are lots of distractions — we need the audience to cross all that and reach the theatre.” Naveen is also a huge believer in trailers being the most decisive factor for bringing back huge theatrical footfalls. “For smaller films, even distributors don’t help much in promotion. But if people are really intrigued by a trailer, they will seek the film out,” he says. The challenges of consistently producing fresh content in these times of excess of audio-visual media are also something he acknowledges. In fact, Naveen states it outright that makers can’t always bring fresh content. Yet, he clarifies his stance: “We can bring in unique content, where in a familiar story, at least one section or element is unique. Like in Eleven, it’s templated for large parts, but we brought in a unique episode of 25-30 minutes. If one exciting factor is correctly placed, the whole film appears fresh.”
The 42-year-old actor is full of praise for the Malayalam film industry, even as he clarifies why he hasn’t accepted any offers from there. “It is the toughest film industry. The way they go about their production — their process is so beautiful, but not everyone can adjust to that. It’s very difficult for an outsider to step in. You need to be at that speed where you wrap up a film shoot in 30 days. You can’t understand that after doing one film. If you grasp the root, then you can sustain and give your best without any inhibitions. I am still in the process of understanding it.”
While he has been consistently busy and visible on the big screen, Naveen also had a big moment recently with the re-release of his breakthrough film Andala Rakshasi, which was well received. The actor recalls the experiences, elaborating, “When I went in, I was expecting millennials to be the major audience. But these were college students, who must have been kids when the film came out, but they were reciting every dialogue, showing that anticipation for my character’s entry. For a moment, I forgot I had come to watch my own film. I transformed into Surya."
Naveen talks about the loyalty of family audiences and admits to being conscious in his film choices. “I had a few intimate scenes in Parampara, but fortunately, it didn’t receive any negative traction. There is some special quality in you that they connect with, so I need to be careful in my choices. Building a viewership is tough, but getting rid of them is equally tough,” he notes.
Naveen has many projects in the pipeline, including the Ravi Teja starrer Mass Jathara, where he plays the antagonist, and Karuna Kumar’s next, titled Honey. The actor is doing another comedy film, tentatively titled Golden Days, which he mentions is in a 'Jigarthanda-like space.’ Looking back at his journey since Andala Rakshasi days, Naveen shares a few learnings over the course of time. “Every film I got offered was by virtue of my previous work. I did not have recommendations, and I did not visit production offices. Fortunately, with each film, I worked with many good technicians and learned to truly appreciate their work. As you keep working, you realise it’s not just about your look or lines but also these 150 crew members putting in equal efforts to project you as the face of the film. I still need to understand more, but this is how I learned the value of cinema, which I feel has made me a good actor,” he reflects.