It wasn’t difficult lifting Tammu and Raashi together

Ravi Teja might be the angry young man on screen, but he’s quite a recluse once cameras are off from him. A self-confessed 'hippie at heart', he makes no bones about his preference to 'maintain a low profile' once he is not shooting. “I don’t like talking about myself, and would rather let my films do the talking," he declares.

Only ‘encouraging’ talent

Ravi Teja made a habit of giving breaks to young filmmakers like Harish Shankar, Gopichand Malineni, Bobby and now Chakri. Put that to him and pat comes the reply, “I’m only encouraging them, just like the way Krishna Vamsi encouraged me. I haven’t made their life. Nobody gives life to anyone here.”

The actor has teamed up with Sampath Nandi for ‘Bengal Tiger’, which opens this Thursday. Ask the actor on what drove him to give the director, who after spending more than two years on ‘Gabbar Singh 2’ came out of the project, a chance, and he responds, “I was looking to work with him for quite some time and, in the meanwhile, he came up with a script that impressed me.”

Giving a sneak peek into his role, he reveals, “I play a laidback guy from Athreyapuram in Godavari district who comes to Hyderabad on a mission. It’s a character-driven film where my fans, apart from my usual antics, will get to see a new side of me,” adding, “Amongst all the tigers, the Bengal Tiger is more popular because of a few unique traits it possesses. In what context it is being compared to the protagonist’s character has to be watched out for (smiles).”

Enjoyed shaking a leg

Over the years, the actor started to enjoy dancing more, particularly with his female leads. Prod him on a move in the film where he was required to pick up his two leading ladies –Tamannaah and Raashi Khanna – on his shoulders, he smiles, “Yeah, it was fun rehearsing and filming for the number and I did not have any trouble lifting them. Aa maataram kudaa moyyaka pothe ela andi? (How can I not lift them?). The music was so peppy that I had no issues.”

Describing the work experience with Boman Irani, who plays a CM in the film, he reveals, “He’s a fantastic actor and the way he carried his role with authenticity is worth raving about. He learnt the language to emote the dialogues and I was pleased to see his dedication. I bonded with him big time on the sets and learnt quite a few things from him.”

Love being versatile

Despite the experiments which have yielded mixed results, Ravi Teja–someone who prefers to enact in rebellious, irreverent and roguish avatars with each passing film– insists he loves being versatile. “Just like any other actor, even I like to experiment once in a while but I need to look at factors like the audience perception, budget and fans.

I experimented with films like ‘Naa Autograph’, ‘Sambo Siva Sambo’ and ‘Neninthe’ but they didn’t click,” maintains the actor, who admits not being concerned about the result when he treads a different path. “I still get appreciation messages for the aforementioned films as and when they are aired on TV. I was very satisfied doing those roles. Had those films worked, I perhaps would not have tried anything different further,” he says tongue-in-cheek.

A travel freak

So what keeps the mass maharaja busy apart from films? “Whenever I have time, I'll only watch films and I don't know anything other than that. I’m a travel freak as well and enjoy listening to music. It keeps me rejuvenated. I enjoy my regular workouts but I always keep my personal life away from my profession,” he signs off.

By Sashidhar Adivi