In the film world, there are only a few honest friends because the demand for one is not particularly great. But actor Darshan and Srujan Lokesh share a bond, which shatters the myth that friendship among celebrities is a thin wall that can be cracked easily. While their distinct chemistry has been appreciated with Navagraha, Porki and Chingari, they will be bringing their magic back in Jaggu Dada. And Srujan is just glad that he has got the opportunity to work again with Darshan.
Currently shooting for fighting sequences along with Darshan, Sharath Lohitashwa and Shobhraj for a schedule that will end tomorrow, Srujan takes time to talk to Express about his association with the Challenging Star. “Working with my friend is always a pleasure,”says Srujan. “It is the personal rapport we both share with each other. Since we grew up together, we are comfortable with each other. For any other actor, it might be difficult to put across certain things to another actor with a megastar status. But with Darshan, the advantage is that we exchange words and suggestions quite easily and that is what makes the scenes look more natural. The comfort zone is a major plus,” he adds.
Though professionally nothing has changed, according to Srujan, the atmosphere on the sets has become different. “It is now a casual approach towards work. As a hero, when I did films like Typical Kailasam or Sapno Ki Rani, it was a different ball game because the whole pressure was on me. However, in case of Jaggu Dada, I am getting involved in the script more than any other film because it is a comedy genre which I am currently comfortable with. I am trying to work out with the timing and enhance the story. Thankfully, it is working out well. More so, I can easily share the burden with Darshan,” he says.
Elaborating on their working style, Srujan says, “He lets me do most of the talking. So our combination works. You can easily kill a comedian by not replying to him. If there is no counter dialogues from the opposite person, there is no use, which has been taken care of in Jaggu Dada.”
Considering that Srujan’s expertise comes from his comic timing, according to the actor, slapstick comedy is a product of the past. “In my opinion, subtle comedy with a lot of dialogues is what will make the difference today. We should create comedy in such a way that the other person should think, ‘why didn’t it strike me’. Comedy needs action and reaction to work out well. There are a lot of jokes which keep circulating on WhatsApp and social media but to tweak that on screen is a challenge. If there is thrust in the joke, it should be better than what you have heard or read,” says Srujan.