HYDERABAD: Dr Rajasekhar, who was hailed for his performances in films like Aahuti, Magadu and Allari Priyudu among others talks about
his comeback with
PSV Garuda vega 126.18M
Actor Rajasekhar is off the radar for some time now but it seems like he is on the comeback trail with his November 3 release PSV Garuda Vega 126.18M. Directed by Praveen Sattaru, the film shows the Evadaithe Nakenti actor in an action-packed avatar, after a long time. “I play Sekhar, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) rank officer in the National Investigation Agency (NIA), who is deputed on a mission spearheaded by Nassar. The film was made on par with international standards and shows the professional and personal conflicts happened in my life. Praveen has wonderfully incorporated the family emotions in a high-paced exciting action-fuelled entertainer.”
Another aspect of Praveen that amazed Rajasekhar was his perfection. “Usually, any production unit of a film had to be prepared for last-minute script changes on the sets. But, Praveen went ahead with what he had conceived in the final draft. I was really impressed with his conviction and is eagerly waiting for the audience response.”
Admittedly, Rajasekhar regrets making some bad decisions in his career. And, he is confident that Garuda Vega will revive his fortunes at the ticket window and bring back his past glory. “I know that I’m going through a lean patch and none of my recent outings fared well. I realised that I made some stupid choices in terms of script selection and even personally, things were looking bleak as I lost all my money as a producer. Henceforth, I have realised that production is not my cup of tea and for my mother’s sake, I vowed to not produce any films in my lifetime.”
The 55-year-old actor maintains that he faced a lot of hardships both professionally and personally due to his failures. “The industry people always made me feel a failure. Honestly, after delivering many blockbusters in the past, I didn’t expect this apathy from the industry folks. I had seen many highs in life and didn’t know that this was a possibility too. When my films didn’t do well, I was in denial and disappointed as I could see the people who welcomed me with open arms behaved otherwise.
Like any thriller with so many twists and turns which doesn’t let the audience breathe, Rajasekhar too faced many unexpected events in his life. “Two weeks before Garuda Vega took off, I complained of severe chest pain and vomiting. After diagnosis, I was told it was an arterial obstruction on the lateral side of my heart. Immediately, I underwent a successful heart procedure to clear the blockage. Although the doctor advised me to take rest for three months, I started working for this film within two weeks as I don’t want this situation to hamper the production,” says Rajasekhar, who was still reeling from the tragic demise of his mother Aandal Varadharajan.
The actor admits that he wants to take up negative roles if they will be unusual and edgy. “I’m open to breaking away from the positive roles and is willing to play a villain and character roles provided they are well-written and holds significance in the film. I have met over 40 writers and listened to many scripts in these two years but none of them didn’t excite me as they are regular villains.”
Rajasekhar’s daughter Sivani is set to make her acting debut soon. “Sivani is pursuing her medicine. She has been flooded with many offers from filmmakers across South Indian languages. But, we are taking our time to choose an appropriate script,” concludes Rajasekhar, who has no qualms to cast his daughter opposite his counterparts sons like Ram Charan, Naga Chaitanya, Mokshagna and Akhil.