Director’s agenda behind film is key: Bunny

With ‘S/o Satyamurthy’, Allu Arjun has reinstated why he has earned the tag of ‘stylish star’. His formal and trendy attires caught the fancy of his fans and the audience in particular. The actor says the look was necessary to look his part in the film. He says, “Since I play a wealthy guy in the film, it was needed that I maintain a dignified look. The challenge was to look chic within in the precincts of looking dignified; it was a new thing but I’m happy that people have embraced it with open arms.”

The actor says that he learned how to take extra care of his personal staff after working with Samantha, his co-star in the film. “I treat my staff well but after seeing how Samantha goes about the business I felt like I needed to do more,” he states.

The actor says he didn’t undergo any preparation to essay Viraaj Anand, his character in the film. “Before we went on to floors, director Trivikram and I discussed about the role, the mannerisms and the look – that was it.”

The actor says director’s mindset is important for a film’s final output to be meaningful and refined. “If the script is good and the director’s state of mind isn’t, the output will not match the intended vision,” he maintains, adding that directors should be wary of what they want to achieve with the film. “Are they making the film to mint money? Are they making it to fill the gap in their careers? Or is their agenda to tell a new point? Agenda is the keyword here. If they are out to make a film for money, it will be clearly visible to the audiences.”

The actor has collaborated with Trivikram for the second time and says the experience has been memorable. Their discussions during the breaks were “trash mostly”. “We also discussed about international cinema. He advises me to watch a particular actor’s performance if he likes it. The chat, generally, varies with my interest.”

The actor observes that the great trait about the writer-turned-director is that he is open-minded. “Unlike some directors who don’t listen to others, Trivikram has an ear for everyone. If he likes what they say, he is ready to slot in the inputs into the film.”

Shooting with an ensemble cast – Rajendra Prasad, Upendra, Sneha, Nithya Menen, Adah Sharma, Kota Sreenivas Rao and Rao Ramesh – wasn’t a difficult task, he reveals. Attributing the credit to the professionalism of the actors, he says, “Basically directors are of two types– those who take and those who give. Trivikram belongs to the latter category. He gives great material to actors which will help them in the future. He opened me up as far as my acting was concerned during ‘Julayi’. He demanded immense respect from everyone.”

The actor’s next is ‘Rudhramadevi’ where he plays the role of Gona Gannareddy. He confides that he himself had approached director Gunasekhar to play the Kakatiya military chieftain. “I came to know that no star hero was willing to play it. That was when I called him and expressed my interest in playing the part. It took nearly 20-25 days for him to tweak the role to suit my body language,” he says.