Aadi was focused while I was emotional: Sai Kumar

Sai Kumar on shooting with son Aadi for the first time for ‘Chuttalabbayi,’ why his role will please his fans, production plans and Mohanlal

Aadi has starred in seven films till now but has never shared screen space with his father Sai Kumar who has been in the biz for more than three decades. But that has changed with ‘Chuttalabbayi', which releases on Friday.

Turns out, the papa was more emotional on day one than his son was. “I thought he’d be fidgety but it was me instead. He was focused, requiring me to pull my socks up,” recalls the ‘Dialogue King,’ as Sai Kumar is fondly called, in a chat with Talkies.

He continues after a pause, “Our first day shoot was at a Sai Baba temple in Rajamahendravaram. We got down from our respective caravans in similar attires and took the blessings of the lord before proceeding with the job at hand. Director Veerabhadram canned some walking shots of both of us, before giving us a scene. And as far as Aadi’s act was concerned, he barely required any tips from me.”

Sai plays Dorababu in the film and he says it will be feast to his fans. “They’ve been waiting to see me in a powerful role since long and Dorababu will satiate their yearning. He is a very lovable guy and represents 500 villages. In fact, the part, like Aadi’s, has got an introductory fight too.”

But was he compelled to do the film since Aadi’s career is on a downward spiral with three failures on the trot? He replies, “When Veerabhadram narrated me the script, he just mentioned about Dorababu character. I kind of liked it and asked him whether I can play it.

He said I can but since this would be the first time that I would be seen with my son, I wanted the role to be etched out properly. He was game for it and gave it a nice form with the help of writers Sravan and Bhavani. When I was briefed the complete part, I green-lit the project immediately.”

Sai admits that he was worried about his son’s career before he began shooting for ‘Chuttalabbayi'. “But the thing is he has got people who are waiting for his film. He has been accepted by people and it’s just that he needs a hit to be on track once again. He’s a tough nut and isn’t going anywhere,” he exults.

Sai points out that he is keen to watch the film in Vizianagaram. His dad, PJ Sharma, has made it a point to watch his grandson’s films in his native place and after he passed away, Sai decided that he would be filling in for his dad. “I’m not a complete actor because I was not good at dance whereas Aadi is that proper Telugu hero. Dad used to see himself in Aadi. Now that he is not among us, I would be continuing his practice of watching Aadi’s films in our home town,” he asserts.

Scoffing rumours that his production house Srinivasa Sai Screens, which produced the damp squib ‘Garam,’ has been shut, Sai clarifies they are on the right path. “Aadi is listening to scripts every other day. We have locked a couple of scripts and will take a call on which one to start first after ‘Chuttalabbayi' opens.”

He is equally excited about his next big outing in Telugu, ‘Janatha Garage,’ starring Mohanlal and NTR. While he is tight-lipped about his role, saying ‘it will be good,’ he is clearly in awe of director Koratala Siva. “The way he captures emotions is worth raving about. He is a very good director.” What about Mohanlal? “On sets, he used to ask me, ‘Is my dialogue ok?’ To that I was like, ‘Balevaru sir meeru?’” ends Sai Kumar, smiling.