Versatile actor Jagapathi Babu is one of the finest character artists in Telugu cinema. After beginning his second innings with Legend, he is close to completing 100 films. He is now playing a key role in the upcoming big-budget film Peddi, directed by Buchi Babu Sana, starring Ram Charan and Janhvi Kapoor in the lead roles.
A confident Jagapathi Babu says that since Buchi Babu narrated the story and the character, he had a strong feeling that Peddi would be a huge hit.
“It’s not just about playing an important role. For the first time in a long while, I truly felt satisfied as an actor. I feel lucky to have got such a challenging role like Appalasoori," he adds, saying that despite starring in numerous films after Legend, only a few stuck with him. “After Legend, I played many roles, but only five or six characters really stayed with me. Among them, the role in Peddi definitely stands at the top now."
The actor is also hopeful that his character will make audiences forget him. "In Peddi, audiences will completely see Appalasoori and forget Jagapathi Babu. I enjoyed working with talented people like Ratnavelu and Ram Charan. It gave me immense job satisfaction,” he says, elaborating on how demanding it was to act with prosthetic makeup. “It took nearly three hours for the makeup and one hour to remove it. I used to get rashes and acne regularly, and after the shoot, I would visit the doctor almost every day. But it was all worth it because I thoroughly enjoyed performing the role,” he adds.
He lists out perfecting the diction and accent as another challenge in the film. “The accent was extremely difficult. I received inputs from the team to shape the role. Even dubbing was challenging. You won’t believe it, but I could dub only two dialogues in an entire day. There is so much depth and emotion in the role,” he says, as he goes on to recall the days he worked with Sukumar, who mentored Buchi Babu Sana, and how the filmmaker deftly handled a challenging dubbing situation in Pushpa 2.
The actor said Peddi stands apart from all the roles he has done so far. “Sukumar was not satisfied with my dubbing as he was busy with another work. He then asked me to dub the lines while walking. While it is not possible inside the studio, a person carrying the mic along with me as I dubbed. I could clearly notice the difference in the voice modulation. That is Sukumar’s brilliance. I learnt something new from that experience. Whenever I work with Sukumar or Buchi, I get a special kick because they know exactly what they want from actors,” he shares.
The actor says he has observed that Ram Charan, with whom he worked in Rangasthalam, has made a great improvement. “He has become more confident, has grown tremendously as an actor, and is doing an excellent job,” he says, relishing the moments he spent with Ram Charan. “Personally, I like Ram Charan a lot, and even my family likes him very much. He is a very warm person and always makes people feel comfortable whenever you meet him,” he adds.
Commenting on the recent trolling over Ram Charan’s “Bumrah” comment during promotions, Jagapathi Babu strongly supports the actor. “People who don’t have any work keep doing such things. Ram Charan is carrying immense pressure as the hero of the film. He has to deal with censorship formalities, dubbing, theatre issues, and nonstop promotions across different cities. In that pressure, anyone can slip up with a word,” he opines, as he further spoke about the hard work Ram Charan put into Peddi. “He suffered several injuries while shooting and literally shed blood for this role. He went completely out of his comfort zone for Peddi. Ignoring all that hard work and trolling him for one small mistake is unfair. It is natural for someone under so much pressure to make a minor mistake."
Jagapathi Babu believes that the Telugu film industry currently needs a film like Peddi. “This is a very good film, and I got an excellent role in it. I am confident that Peddi will become a huge blockbuster,” he says, as he gets candid saying he is passionate about his work and likes to stay busy. “I love working, which is why I leave home by 9 every morning. I also respect people who work tirelessly for long hours,” he says.
The actor is also known for posting random videos of himself walking through crowded streets on social media. Speaking about his social media presence, he said there is no planning behind those videos. “I never planned anything in life. Sometimes I just feel like sharing something personal. People may call me a celebrity, and I appreciate that love, but deep inside, I always feel like a common man. That’s why I enjoy walking through busy streets and casually posting those videos,” he says, as he concludes saying that he is up next working on a web series apart from multiple other films.
