I punctured my teachers’ scooter tyres

Recalls Telugu actor Daggubati Venkatesh about his notorious school days in Chennai

I was born in Chennai and my first childhood memories are definitely dominated by the beach city. Although my father Dr Daggubati Ramanaidu was (and is) a prolific producer, movies were not really discussed at home. We were a family of five including my parents, my elder brother Suresh Babu and my younger sister Lakshmi.

I did my schooling at Don Bosco, Egmore, Chennai. My parents were happy to get me admission in that elite school and I also felt I was lucky to study there. I was a hyper-energetic kid who you could term as a mischief maker. I was a sort of rebel who never used to like the system, especially where teachers were partial to some students because they scored better marks. I always believed that teachers should be like parents who shower the same love and affection on all kids regardless of their accomplishments. So naturally I used to do crazy things like puncturing scooter tyres of teachers who’ve been nasty to me in class. I was also instinctively protective of my friends (giving them proxy attendance etc) and therefore my entire class adored me and my teachers hated me. During class elections, the students would elect me but within weeks, my teachers would throw me out of the post and the class. Eventually they relented and I was elected as house caption in my Class X.

Although I was an average student academically, I was active in sports and co-curricular activities. I had my own gang and I used to play every game – hockey, volley ball, basketball, poker, cricket, marbles, kites basketball… Surprisingly, the only activity I wasn’t interested in those days was dramatics! I was not somebody who enjoyed being confined to some indoor spaces. Instead, it was the big, spacious playground where I could shriek with joy that appealed to me.

I did my graduation in Commerce at Loyola College in Chennai. My best memories are of my transition from riding a bicycle to a two-wheeler and then a car. I used to enjoy vrooming on bikes but after I injured myself while riding on a bike, my dad ordered me to stop riding a bike only to gift me a car to drive to college. Although I was given many comforts, I was never arrogant of our status or wasteful with money.

Loyola days were filled with college fests, student rock shows, seminars etc. My friends had a music band. I never really had the urge to be part of the band but I used to enjoy acting like a manager – making promos for the shows, selling tickets etc. I guess the producer’s gene often resurfaced in me on occasions.

I was basically a listless guy and loved taking one day at a time with no big dreams. The only dream, or rather wish, I had was to go to the US to study. Even the idea of living away in a different country away from family and all on my own gave me a heady feeling, as though it was an adventure I wanted to try. So when I suggested that I wanted to go to the US, dad gave me the go ahead. I studied at Monterey Institute of International Studies in California.

After I finished my MBA, I was keen on coming back to India and turning into a producer or do something behind the screens but I guess destiny had something else in store for me. A few years after I returned to India, I was launched as an actor and the rest is history.

(As told to Manju Latha Kalanidhi)