I'm confident, not arrogant

Unlike his elder brother Allu Arjun, Sirish failed to get a dream launch as his debut flick, ‘Gouravam’, which released year ago, failed to set the box-office on fire. In a chat-a-thon, the entrepreneur-turned-actor analyses the failure. “Besides lacking commercial elements like songs and comedy, it also fell short of the local flavor; a lot of people assumed it to be a dubbed movie.” However, he does not repent the decision. “Many IAS officers and professors have appreciated the central point of the film. If it wasn’t my launch pad, it would have definitely clicked.”

The suave actor is now testing his luck with ‘Kottha Janta’, his latest, under home production Geetha Arts. His long time friend Maruthi has helmed the flick. “We’ve known each other for the past seven years. In fact, he narrated me the same script, scene-wise, five years back,” he recalls, speaking about his character. “I play Sirish, a self-centered individual, who is out of the college. A TV anchor by profession, he falls in love with a girl who thinks similar to him. What transpires between them is what the film is all about.”

He continues, “We’ve also stressed on the ego clashes that arises between them as they work in the same profession and in the same office.” Shooting for the film was like a homecoming of sorts for the actor. “I’ve shot for ‘Gouravam’ in Karnataka and with Tamil actors, but ‘Kottha Janta’ happened in a familiar territory, a terrain I know at the back of my hand. The core team members - Maruthi, Bunny Vaas (producer) and Richards (cinematographer) - were all under 35 and it was more of a friendly union than work. I don’t know whether I will collaborate with other producers now that I’m addicted to Geetha Arts,” he smiles.

Rebutting news that his dad Aravind chopped scenes of Sampoornesh Babu from the film, he informs, “Dad hardly interfered with the shooting. He only dropped by the sets once during the filming of ‘Atu Amalapuram’ number. We haven’t reshot any portions, but we’ve shot new scenes as we felt that some scenes were not up to the mark. Regarding Sampoo’s role, we felt that it sidetracked the story, hence we had to opt for new ideas.”

The Allu lad was labelled arrogant for his tweets once, but he says his confidence is mistaken for arrogance. “People who spend some time with me know what kind of a person I’m. If I’m not sitting with folded hands, it doesn’t mean that I’m arrogant. I’m an individual who is confident of my work, willing to learn, improve and take feedback,” he avers.

While many in the industry felt that he might follow his father’s footsteps and take Geetha Arts forward, he had other plans; nevertheless, he is keen to don the producer’s hat in the future. “I feel I’m not yet ready because production needs skill, maturity and experience. I lack them currently. Maybe six years down the lane, I will make movies under our banner,” he insists. So, has he managed to spend time with his new nephew Ayaan? “Yes, I did,” he chuckles. “I am scared of handling newborns; hence I would rather go to vadina (Sneha) and have a conversation with her than change Ayaan’s diapers. I only played with Bobby’s (eldest brother) daughter after she was four-months old.”