Lip lock is just a way of showing emotion

“Having been a part of the cinema industry for over 30 years, I have seen many seasons of cinema,” says senior actor Naresh who will soon be seen in Praveen Sattaru’s film, ‘Chandamama Kathalu’. Talking about how people want change in everything from politics to entertainment, he says that today’s young generation of directors are catering to that need and coming up with new and interesting concepts.

“Films like ‘Prema Katha Chitram’, ‘Uyyala Jampala’ and ‘Eega’ are the biggest examples to how the audience are appreciating new age cinema. People want movies to be something that is fun; something that makes a weekend outing likeable,” he says. So is his upcoming film for the new age audience? “Of course. Praveen Sattaru has made a film that will build an emotional connect with the audience... such are the characters. And the story is such that people of all classes and age groups will like it. Every character in the film is thrilling and has some familiarity.”

‘Chandamama Kathalu’ is being promoted as an amalgamation of eight love stories – one between Naresh and Amani, so how does it feel playing the lover boy at an age when side-characters are the only roles that come one’s way? “Love can happen at any age. My character in this film is of a man who returns from abroad and happens to meet his first love. As I said it is only because of this new age cinema that such a character was offered to me. I belong to a generation where falling in love wasn’t accepted like it is today. We lost some beautiful moments, and for people belonging to that generation, this will be a chance to relive those moments.”

When a movie has too many stories within, it could seem crowded, but Naresh says, “I feel this film is beautifully designed and weaves in all the stories harmoniously. Every character is important and every story is a backbone to the entire tale. A single story splits into eight and then into one again. An interesting screenplay it has.”

However, the most curious aspect about the actor’s involvement with the film is his lip lock with co-star Amani. “It’s not a big deal. Kissing is just a way for two people to come closer. It’s something done at the spur of the moment, and there will be no vulgarity or awkwardness,” says the actor. Amani and Naresh will be coming together nearly two decades after ‘Jambalakidi Pamba’ so when quizzed as to what has changed, he says, “Everything might have changed, but we remain the same!” With ‘Chandamama Kathalu’, will he be slowly moving to smaller films considering that he feels they have a scope to be more creative? “Well for me there is no big or small film; it’s either a good or a bad film,” he replies as he signs off.