Playing a hero after ten years, Srujan Lokesh would liske to start from scratch. After his debut with 'Neela Megha Shama', Srujan was restricted to playing supporting roles or guest appearances. Coming back as a hero with 'Aane Pataki', he says, “It is not necessary that once you are a hero, you should remain a hero. I wanted to be an actor and I am still an actor.”
Belonging to a theatre family, Srujan’s passion for acting has been strong, which has allowed him to explore every role coming his way. “I always believed that there are no small characters, there can only be small actors. I am into theatre and I know the importance of a role,” he says.
For the actor, 'Aane Pataki', which will go on floors from Wednesday, is just a bigger canvas. Throwing light on the storyline, Srujan explains, “Though I have been strictly told not to reveal much about the film, I am the innocent guy with lot of comedy happening around me.”
Rumour has it that the film is based on a filmy couple (Rakshita and Prem) who are married and happy in their respective political and movie career. “Even I heard about it. But let me clarify. 'Aane Pataki' has nothing to do with anybody and is not related to any celebrity or couple.”
Content with the kind of roles he has been doing, Lokesh doesn’t wish to be tagged to any particular genre. “If you look back, every film of mine has got a different shape. Right from 'Navagraha', 'Chingari', 'Paramashiva', 'Edegarike' and 'Andar Bahar', I had a variety of roles to play in each film. Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar started off in Bollywood as action heros but later they got on to do good comedy. It is much easier to connect to people without a tag. As an actor, I would like to go with a clean slate,” says this actor who has also faced disappointments with his films, but which have given him better opportunities, he says.
“There were films, which started off and didn’t work later. When such things happen, you don’t know what will be your next move. But in my case, if one film had stopped, my next project was always better. I have always taken the positive out of the negative,” he says.
Though Srujan comes from a filmy background (grandfather Subbaih Naidu and father Lokesh, a well known actor), the actor feels he is still too young to talk about his achievements. “I started off well and I continue doing what I like. I am still in the early stages of my career. Probably 20 years later I will be able to answer, as by then, I would also be getting a lifetime achievement award,” he laughs.
But he is happy with the way the industry folks are treating him. “Once people starts appreciating your work, automatically the attitude towards you changes on a large scale. Take example of the Under-19 captain, Unmukt Chand. Only because India won the world cup under his leadership, the issue was discussed even at the parliament level and he is getting back to college. Work speaks,” he signs off.