Manam Most Special in My Career: Naga Chaitanya
For someone who comes from a family of distinguished actors, Naga Chaitanya comes across as reserved, calm and understated. In spite of the stardom that comes with being associated with the Akkineni family, he prefers to let his films do the talking. In an exclusive interview with City Express, the actor speaks about films, family and the Telugu film industry as a whole. After a disappointing start to his career with Josh, Chaitanya struck gold at the box office with romantic films Ye Maaya Chesaave and 100% Love. The actor, though, is open to all kinds of roles. “Personally I love doing action films. However, my love stories have worked better with the audience and they seem to have accepted me as a romantic hero,” says Chaitanya.
Chai, as he is fondly called, is now gearing up for another upcoming Telugu romantic film, titled Oka Laila Kosam and is quite optimistic about it. “It’s a fun romantic entertainer. I think it’s a promising love story in which I play a guy who has just passed out of college. I had a great time working on the movie,” shares the 27-year-old.
The actor is paired opposite newcomer Pooja Hegde, who’s making her debut in Tollywood with this film, and has had a busy year so far starting with back-to-back releases. “I had not expected Autonagar Surya to release this year, as I had completed the shooting for it last year. However, the film got delayed due to financial reasons and released this year,” expresses Chai.
Having worked with his superstar father Nagarjuna and his grandfather the late Akkineni Nageswara Rao in Manam, the actor says it was the most memorable experience till date.
“Manam is the most special movie of my career so far. It was truly a great experience and it helped me a lot – helped me grow as an actor. Initially, I was overwhelmed by the whole idea of acting with my father and grandfather and felt the pressure. But after a while, we all settled down and it was a lot of fun,” he explains.
When asked to describe his relationship with father Nagarjuna, Chaitanya quips, “Our relationship in real life is exactly like what you saw in Manam.”
With the release of various films in Tollywood, getting postponed or re-scheduled due to various reasons, Chaitanya admits that it can be quite unsettling for everyone involved. “For me it has only happened with Autonagar Surya – the rest have been pretty much on track. But when a movie gets postponed, it affects everyone involved. There has to be a constant change in marketing strategy and it’s never nice to keep the people waiting,” he adds.
In spite of three releases in the span of five months, Chai continues to keep himself busy. “I’m currently shooting for a yet-untitled film with director Sudhir Verma opposite Kriti Sanon,” he informs.
Oka Laila Kosam is expected to release in the theatres on September 5.