Cruising merrily on the filmi highway

Actor Sri Vishnu’s story is a classic example of giving it everything to meet your goal. Best remembered for last year’s release ‘Prema Ishq Kaadhal’ (PIK), Vishnu, a native of Amalapuram, was smitten by the showbiz since teenage. Although acting was at the back of his mind, his introverted attitude ensured that he gave a shot at direction too. “I came to the industry in 2007-08 and like most aspirants I knocked the doors of many production houses for roles. After managing to make some contacts, I worked for six to seven films i.e. ‘Banam’ and ‘Solo’ being prominent ones, very closely; from pre-production to the release date. I’ve even done blink-and-miss appearances in ‘Naa Istam’, ‘Love Failure’ and ‘Life Is Beautiful,” shares the actor in a freewheeling chat with Hans Talkies.

Meanwhile, the young actor also had a brush with theatre. “At the theatre club Suthradhar, I was asked to perform for a Hindi play one day. That I don’t know the language was an altogether different story. I mustered courage and went to perform on the stage, but as my turn came, I forgot my Hindi lines. However, to the surprise of the audience, I started mouthing Telugu dialogues. It did go well with them and when I repeated the same act deliberately for another show, the audience embraced it once again. At this juncture I felt that I can make the audience chuckle with my antics, but I never got such easy-going roles in films,” he recalls. It was only after his stint in the short film ‘Bevars’ (2011), directed by his good friend Pavan Sadineni that he got ‘PIK’. “The short film was more of an extension of what I’m in my real life. It got me good recognition and my character Royal Raju in ‘PIK ‘is more or less inspired by ‘Bevars’,” smiles the actor, a self-confessed Venkatesh fan.

Life changed overnight after ‘PIK’ released. “I was always confident of my abilities, but I was aware that audiences were the best judges. People close to me had their own qualms that I hardly conversed with them confidently. My family too echoed a similar feeling. They felt that I can’t do anything and that I will return home after my share of trials,” he avers, while adding, “My theatre friends got a shock of life after watching me in ‘PIK’. They were flabbergasted and said they need time to get back to me.”

Industry too acknowledged his role and actor Allu Arjun was one of the first to have congratulated him in person. “He lauded my accent and comedy timing. I was over the moon with his gesture; coming from him I started trusting my abilities more,” Vishnu informs.

What followed were his commendable outings in other films such as ‘Second Hand’ and ‘Pratinidhi’. With renewed energy, he is now testing his luck as a solo hero with ‘Nala Damayanti’, a co-production of his good friend Nara Rohith. To be directed by his intermediate friend Kovera, it went on to floors a fortnight ago. “We were in the same class in Vijayawada, but barely had a word with each other. We were never aware of each other’s aspirations. He worked with writer-director Vijayendra Prasad for three years and only after my short film, we’ve met finally. He said that he wrote some stories keeping me in mind and ‘Nala Damayanti’ is one such story.” He continues, “It is inspired by Nala Damayanti, a fictional episode from Mahabharatam. Since it ends on a happy note, I felt it failed to attain the cult status of Devdas. The film will be a thriller peppered with comedy.”