Nikhil Kumar’s family has a rich political legacy. His grandfather H D Deve Gowda, is a former Prime Minister, his father H D Kumaraswamy is the current Chief Minister of Karnataka, and his mother Anita Kumaraswamy is also a politician. Nikhil hasn’t really made much of these things, but is now starting to feel the pressure and responsibility. “Being the CM’s son, I realise that people look up to me. This makes me feel responsible,” he says.
But Nikhil’s first love is films, and he benefits from having the backing of his father, also a well-known film producer and distributor who runs the business under the Channamika Productions banner ha made the journey easy for him. Having marked his debut with the Kannada-Telugu bilingual, Jaguar, in 2016, the actor is currently working on his next, Seetharama Kalyana. This decision to become an actor, he says, was not made overnight. The 28-year-old claims he underwent rigorous training before stepping into the industry. “I wanted to make a mark as a commercial hero, as I wanted to reach a larger audience. But if you ask me whether I want to be a superstar or a good artist, I’d choose the latter without hesitation. Be it dance, action or expressing emotions, you can only stand out if you are a good actor. For the moment, my only focus is to get better with every film,” he says.
Nikhil believes he sees a huge difference in his acting ability from when he made his debut in Jaguar. “I am happy with the way I have improved.” The recently released teaser of Seetharama Kalyana suggested it’s an action film. “It was targeted at distributors who are looking forward to releasing our film. But the next trailer will throw light on my performance,” Nikhil says.The one-film-old actor feels this is the best time and age for him to experiment with mass subjects. “Having said that, there is scope for performance in my second film,” says
Nikhil, adding, “All credit goes to those who are training me to be a better actor. Special credit to director Harsha and stunt masters Ram-Laxman. I am lucky to be associated with the best of the best. I can say with confidence that you will see a different Nikhil in the upcoming film.”The actor is juggling to do justice to his two roles: Actor and a politician’s son. “After packup, I make sure to spend time with my father and discuss the state’s political scenario,”says Nikhil, who is very clear that his future will be in politics, and considers all this as a stepping stone. “I will definitely be a part of politics some day. But before that, I want to learn the system.”
Nikhil is equally clear about his future when it comes to films. “I am already in discussions with a few directors for my third project. I am not going to be associated with big names. I want to work with young directors who are energetic and passionate about cinema. I don’t like dealing with big egos at work,” says the actor, adding, “Be it politics or films, I am fortunate enough to get the best guidance from my father and mother.”