Actor Dhruva Sarja, who is dedicating the upcoming film to his late brother, Chiranjeevi Sarja, talks to Cinema Express about the preparations that went in to play a 17-year-old’s character, and what makes the Nanda Kishore-directorial close to reality for him
Dhruva Sarja has veered off the regular route for this fourth film, Pogaru. Dumping his regular stylish looks, he has worked towards not looking good -- an image he has tried to carry for almost three years, since he took up this project.
According to the Addhuri, Bahaddhur, and Bharjari hero, he did all this only to remain in the character that he plays in Pogaru.
“This was not a story tailor made for me. On the other hand, I got into the character at various stages based on what was sketched by the director and what the story demanded,” says Dhruva, adding that the script became the hero, and he bowed to the character.
His previous films had him engage the audience with a lot of dialogues, emotions and drama, with the makers also keeping in view the actor’s opinions.
“However, Pogaru did not give me a choice about how I should look and feel. Instead, I had to go by what the role required. There is a younger version of me, for which I had to become a 17-year-old boy. I was not asked to just look like one, but was told to be one. I initially thought of shedding 5 kg, then came to 10 kg but ended up losing 33 kg. Then, I was again asked to go on the extreme side, for which I had to put on weight. Overall, to look like a hero with messy looks was not an easy task,” he explains.
Dhruva recalls that director Nanda Kishore did put all these points in front of him before they began the film.
“After much thought, I was game for it, and took it up as a challenge. I was so involved in my character that I didn’t want to cheat for the schoolboy look. I took it as an opportunity, and ended up embracing the transformation, which will be seen this Friday,” he says.
Dhurva adds that apart from the high-octane action and all the commercial elements, Pogaru is a family drama at heart.
“The major highlights are the mother-son bonding, the brother-sister relationship, and the hero’s attachment with a girl, all told from the perspective of a youth who has a disturbed past. It talks about the impact that bad childhood experiences can have on a person while growing up, the way they shape his adult life, and its effect on his relationships,” he reveals.
“I have not done any make-up for this film. I didn’t feel the need to apply glycerine. The emotions are real. All the little things make my character in Pogaru very close to reality,” says Dhruva, who is dedicating this film to his late brother, Chiranjeevi Sarja.