Riding high on the success of Pataas, Nandamuri Kalyan Ram seemed completely at ease. Calm, relaxed and spontaneous, the actor says he is overwhelmed with the audience’s response. “The feedback to this film has been tremendous and we wanted to do something different rather than just the run-of-the-mill stuff. I was not really nervous before the film’s release but there is naturally a sense of relief after it has done well,” expresses Kalyan Ram.
The success of Pataas comes at the right time for the actor, who was last seen in 2013 action 3D film OM. Speaking about his personal mantra of doing films, he says, “The idea is to entertain the audience right through the film. People come to watch films to enjoy themselves and forget about everything else. It’s important for us to just entertain them,” observes the actor-producer.
As he moves forward, Kalyan Ram seeks to be more versatile and is open to act in fresh roles. “I don’t want to act in routine films and would like to do something different each time. It doesn’t matter if it is a serious role or a comedy. I’d like it to be a blend of both. Also, just because Pataas is a hit, I don’t want to adopt the same formula every time,” he reasons, forthrightly.
The release of Pataas also coincided with the unfortunate demise of legendary comedian MS Narayana. Expressing remorse over his death, Kalyan Ram says he was fortunate to have worked with him. “It was the first time that I had worked with MS Narayana garu. He was so humble and warm on the sets, it was incredible to work with him,” the actor emotionally recalls.
A member of the distinguished Nandamuri family, Kalyan Ram has no qualms of sharing screen space with brother NTR Jr or uncle Balakrishna. “Even if they ask me to act in one scene, I’m willing to do it,” he quips.
The actor is also convinced that the whole family will come together in a film. “It will definitely happen in the future. But for that to happen, there should be a script that does justice to it. We would not just appear in a film just for the sake of doing,” Kalyan Ram asserts.
The actor attributes one part of the success of Pataas to his personal equation with many of his co-stars. “I had a great time on the sets. In fact, every night I would be waiting to go for the shoot. We had great fun on the sets and every scene is full of energy,” he shares.
One of the positive aspects of the film was that it was wrapped up in just two hours. With people no longer having the patience to sit through lengthy films, one wonders if there is a shift in the industry. “I feel that the length of the film does not matter as long as we are able to entertain the audience. However, it’s important to stick to structure of the story and avoid adding unnecessary content. The audience must not wonder why a particular scene is there in the film,” states the actor.
Kalyan Ram will next be seen in Sher, which is being produced under a different banner – Vijayalakshmi Pictures, and model Vanya Mishra would feature opposite him. “At the moment I’m working on Sher. Once that is complete, I will take a call on other projects,” he adds.