Back to his forte

Trivikram is yet to exhibit his full potential. I see him churning out classics like ‘Maya Bazaar’ and ‘Gundamma Katha’ in the future- Sunil

After portraying roles that required him to be tough and sober for the past couple of years, actor Sunil is back to his forte – comedy- with ‘Bheemavaram Bullodu’, slated to open in cinema halls today. Insisting that the film, named after his native place, is a full-length entertainer, the actor claims, “Director Uday Shankar has travelled with the script for five years and his inputs ensured that writer Sreedhar delivers one-liners that pack a serious punch. Every scene will evoke laughter. It is my second original screenplay after ‘Maryada Ramanna’ and boasts of four action blocks too, a first for me.”

The actor who made a transition from being an ace comedian to a lead actor feels that doing the former is easy. “Besides the fact that you are busy for the day, the only problem that a character artiste goes through is adjusting his dates. A character artiste can eat well and can put on weight, unlike a lead actor,” he smiles, adding, “The lead actor is under pressure to bring in the audience to the film compared to that of a comedian.”

There was a point where the actor stopped donning the central roles despite his first film as a hero, ‘Andala Ramudu’, set the cash registers ringing. “When Super Good Films approached me to star in the film, I asked them to hang around for another two years. I even advised them to approach Ravi Teja to essay the central role, but they insisted that I do it. After two years I gave it a shot after taking in the opinion of every friend and well-wisher of mine. It did well. However, I stopped accepting central roles for five years as I wanted to be more sure,” he recalls.

It was on the sets of ‘Magadheera’ that Rajamouli surprised him by offering him to star in ‘Maryada Ramanna’. “I remember it was the first day of the film. I went to him and said, ‘I entered the industry to cherish my dream of becoming a baddie. So please give me a role akin to what Katraj (Supreeth) did in Chatrapathi.’ Rama garu interrupted me and said, ‘Sunil garu, he has plans to make a film with you in the lead’. I was shocked to hear that and I was stock-still for a brief period,” he remembers.

He continues, “’Maryada Ramanna’ was followed by ‘Katha Screenplay Darshakatvam Appalraju’ which failed to fare well. I then decided to give up central roles by delivering one last hit. Nevertheless, the very next film, ‘Poola Rangadu’, did exceptionally well and I had to commit to other movies too (smiles).”

Known to share a close equation with writer-turned-director Trivikram, whom he labels as a well read, honest, large-hearted and a humourous individual, he says, “He is right now playing the world cup (directing big heroes), let him play it. I don’t want him to shift attention to T-20 cricket (directing me) but if he gets a breather, I don’t see him not making a film with me (smiles). If we join forces, the film will be nothing short of a thorough entertainer.”

He adds, “He is yet to exhibit his full potential. I see him churning out classics like ‘Gundamma Katha’ and ‘Maya Bazaar’ in the future.”