I am a complicated person: Aadhi

...says Aadhi, who’s gearing up for the release of Maragatha Naanayam tomorrow.
I am a complicated person: Aadhi

Aadhi is returning to Tamil cinema after two years with Maragatha Naanayam that’s releasing this week, and among the first things he says about the film is that it’s not hero-centric.

“The film appealed more to the moviegoer in me,” says Aadhi. “The story revolves around five characters.”

The film will see him team up again with Nikki Galrani with whom he paired up in his last Tamil outing, Yagavarayinum Naa Kaakka.

“I’ve been part of films where, after diplomatically exchanging pleasantaries, the heroine goes into her caravan, but Nikki is a lot of fun. She and I chat a lot on the sets. My comfort with her creates a certain energy in the scenes we do.” The film is releasing in both Tamil and Telugu, and has garnered good buzz ahead of its release. “It’s all because of the audio launch which we organised sooner than usual,” he says.

While there are heroines who effortlessly balance work in both Tamil and Telugu cinema, there aren’t too many heroes like Aadhi.

He smiles, and says, “I think scripts are of two types: heart-driven and mind-driven. The latter results in commercial films. The former is where the filmmaker tries to make a difference to cinema. The Tamil and Telugu industries have filmmakers in both categories, but in Telugu cinema, the budget is bigger and piracy isn’t really an issue. I’m glad I’m relevant in both.”

Aadhi’s connections with cinema go a long way. His father, Ravi Raja Pinisetty, is a well-renowned director who has done more than 50 films. His brother, Sathya Prabhas Pinisetty, is also a director. So, there’s no dearth for advice.

“Though I go with my gut feeling about scripts, I’d be a fool not to use my dad’s experience,” he says. That’s why he thinks he’s able to figure out the good roles from the bad.

“I have a knack for finding negative roles especially, like the one I did in Allu Arjun’s Sarrainodu. It was a character who was willing to do anything to protect the image of his family. It’s not like I played an alcoholic or a womaniser. In fact, I’ll be doing a similar role in Pawan Kalyan’s next film too,” says Aadhi, who has been getting bombarded with negative roles ever since he made his debut in Tamil cinema with Mirugam.

But the actor isn’t in a hurry to do films. “I’m complicated that way (laughs). To me, it’s all about doing what I’m happy with. With Tamil audiences being more open to innovative content than they ever have been, I’m now planning to do more films.”

He’s done drama (Mirugam), horror (Eeram), historic fiction (Kochadaiiyaan), and masala Yagavarayinum Naa Kaakka, Ayyanar). And now, he’s doing fantasy adventure with Maragatha Naanayam. Aadhi says it’s no accident.

“After Mirugam, I sat in my house for a year and a half because I didn’t again want to do a similar role. In our industry, when a film clicks, we get approached with similar roles. My wait paid off when I got Eeram. The most exciting thing about being an actor is being able to turn into different personalities, and if I’m not doing that, I shouldn’t even be an actor.”

Aadhi’s Telugu film, Ninnu Kori, is also ready and releasing in July. He’s also doing a Tamil film that’s “based on a real incident which shook Tamil Nadu”, and is in advanced discussions  to do a Malayalam film too. In addition to all these projects, he’s a part of Ram Charan’s next and Pawan Kalyan’s next. The wait definitely seems to have paid off for the actor.

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The New Indian Express
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