On a bustling weekend afternoon at Sarath City Capital Mall, the newest TechnoSport store received an unexpected surge of excitement. Actor Teja Sajja arrived, and in seconds, the crowd’s energy lifted. Through the noise and cheers, Teja moved with a quiet confidence, taking in the space with genuine curiosity.
Settling into the interaction with his trademark warmth, he said, “I’ve been using TechnoSport clothes for a while now. They had sent me a package, (laughs) and honestly, I don’t use athleisure just for workouts. It’s my daily routine — whether I’m going to office meetings, listening to scripts, or heading for shoots. It’s convenient and light.”
The launch mirrored TechnoSport’s philosophy of cultivating a performance mindset, something Teja instantly connected with. “For me, a performance mindset is about not giving up, staying consistent, and having patience. Emotionally and mentally, I’m constantly training for my roles,” he shared.
With Hyderabad witnessing a noticeable boom in fitness culture, he feels spaces like this matter. “Competing with international brands and still delivering this kind of quality at this price point is fantastic. It can really cater to the younger generation who are stepping into fitness now, and that excites me,” he expressed.
Fashion, for him, has always been rooted in simplicity. “It’s absolutely not about fashion. I’ve never concentrated on wearing something fancy. It’s always been about comfort,” said the actor. That comfort-first instinct has only become sharper with time and his roles. “After HanuMan, I started digging into Indian wear a lot. If you see me off-screen, it’s mostly kurtas or Indian silhouettes, if not athleisures,” Teja added.
Even his public appearances follow the same rulebook. “Athleisure is very practical,” he said, glancing at his outfit, he added, “For the last four or five years, I’ve been wearing it on shoots too. I can actually go back in the same clothes to the gym.” When asked what ‘feeling like himself’ means, he thought briefly before answering, “Something light, something that gives me space to move.”
Naturally, the conversation drifted toward his films, particularly his evolving choices. But Teja keeps it simple. “To be really honest, I just try to make films that are entertaining and larger than life and something people would be excited to watch on big screens. I don’t think much beyond that,” he mentioned.
Yet, he does have one rule he doesn’t bend. “I cannot compromise on making a clean film that the whole family can watch. Something that has not been attempted yet. Doing something for the first time-that motivates me,” he said firmly.
His recent film Mirai demanded grit and long hours. “Mirai pushed me in many ways. We shot all the action sequences ourselves. It was live action in live locations, which made it really tough. I was training in athleisure all through the shoot, you can see that in the videos.”
With HanuMan giving him the ‘pan-Indian star’ tag, Teja remains grounded. “I was asked whether I was consciously trying to make pan-Indian films. That was not the priority,” he said, adding, “If the films I’m doing are relevant across languages, we release them. But if tomorrow I find a story meant only for Telugu audiences, I will do a straight Telugu film. When I’m listening to a script, I don’t concentrate on other-language audiences. It’s always about our Telugu audience and their sensibilities. That’s primary for me. If it resonates with others too, I’ll be more than happy.”
Their love, he says, is the reason he stands where he does. “If not for them, I wouldn’t be here today. I started very young, at two. Without my Telugu audience, without the people of Andhra and Telangana, I’m nothing,” he said.
Before leaving, he shared a glimpse of what’s next, his excitement unmistakable. “Mirai Part Two and a sequel to Zombie Reddy is also in the works,” he confirmed.
As for the genre he’s eager to explore next, he smiled and held back: “I’ll keep that as a suspense. I don’t want anybody to do it before me.”