VENKATESH NAGAVALLI

Tucking into a bowl of fruit, most probably his lunch, in his Jubilee Hills office, superstar Venkatesh is sitting at his desk framed by a window that offers a glorious view of the historical Qutub Shahi tombs and the Golconda fort, seems almost surreal like a film poster that's come alive.

Shift your gaze a little to the left and that's where you find a real poster of his movie "Nagavalli" the much-awaited sequel to the blockbuster "Chandramukhi". The audiences are likely to see a different Venkatesh in this flick. The film is also teeming with actresses — Anushka Shetty, Kamalini Mukherjee, Richa Gangopadhyay, Shraddha Das and Poonam Kaur. As if guessing what's on our mind he avers, "It's not a regular hero-heroine film; even the song-dance routine is situational. I am not romancing them." So, what's his equation with the bevy of beauties on the sets? "I take care of them and see that they are comfortable," he tells matter of factly and clarifies, "I encourage them to do a good job. I come from a family of filmmakers, so it comes naturally."

The buzz about his role in the film is also ambiguous, while some say it's a dual role others are saying it's technically three roles. Quiz him on it and he drawls, "Watch the movie and then decide." It's also the first time that Venky is playing a villain and he says he is "a lovable villain". So, what was the research that went into the role? "Well, once I wear the outfit, I become the character," Keeping up the banter he points out, "All of us are actors, we are acting from morn to dusk, there are masks we put on and take off. Acting comes naturally to all, it's just that people like me do it before the camera and become famous," he dismisses it simply.

For someone who grew up in a family that discussed film scripts over dinner, what's his view on the 'family business' that Tollywood's synonymous with? "There's nothing good or bad about it. It's just about accepting opportunities that come your way because of you being placed in a certain position or a set of circumstances. My father didn't want me to act in films yet I gravitated to it. I remember sitting in a corner of a room as a 10-year-old listening to scripts that were being discussed and sometime later in the day, dad would ask my views on them. That helped me to pick up scripts that I know will click with the audiences. I guess I have learnt the art of picking up stories that work."

There's already buzz that his upcoming film is destined to be a hit. That's taking things a bit too far is what Venky feels. "No one can tell if a film will succeed at the BO," he affirms and adds, "Hits or flops don't affect me much, what matters is have I given it my by best shot. Films for me is work. Home is where I unwind, I love spending time with my kids and I even see to their homework. Of course my wife Neeraja does the teaching, I only do the supervising!"

What about the debate that's rocking T-Town on the role directors play in escalating the cost of production? "Clear communication right at the beginning of the project is the key. Playing the blame game in the end is of no use to anybody. All the same I feel the team working on a film should see that everybody is benefitted."

What's his action plan for 2011? "Right now I am going on a break with my family, it will be a spiritual journey of sorts — I want to visit the Vatican. And then there's the World Cup Cricket happening in February, I want to go to Colombo and then catch the finals in Mumbai."

"Coming to work, I don't believe in planning, I'm alert to opportunities and things fall in place mysteriously. I've signed up for "Savithri", in January sometime the film will be launched, even in this film, I'm doing a role I've never done before. I'm looking for mature roles and this is the time for me to experiment," he signs off.