Popularly known for his character, Rajesh in his debut movie ‘Happy Day’s which did set a benchmark for Tollywood movies, Nikhil says his later ones have not been that great commercially at the box office.
But with the release of his new movie ‘Veedu Teda’, he says it’s a great opener for him. “After ‘Happy Days’, people started calling recognizing me as Rajesh. They almost forgot that my name was Nikhil. ‘Happy Days’ did have that effect on people. I was really lucky to be a part of that movie.” He then goes on, “My character’s name is this movie is Katti Seenu. I am guessing people will forget Rajesh and start calling me by this new name.”
Expressing his love for acting, Nikhil says, “I always wanted to be an actor. When I was four or five years old, I would recite dialogues of heroes. I knew I wanted to be one, but I didn’t know how I would be able to make a mark.”
From being a supporting actor, to being a lead hero, Nikhil explains, “It is always nice to be an important part of any movie. I believe every role has its own essence and importance.” He further adds, “Being successful definitely comes with your work. I believe success is not permanent. Every Friday your fortune changes. It’s all about dealing with them effectively.”
He opines that, though there are a few serious movies with criticial subjects, audience still want entertainment movies. “I think at the end of the day it’s our audience who need to be entertained. And for this every movie has to be customized for them. We are a movie-crazy city and that’s precisely the reason for such high investments and for the kind of mass subjects we have.”
Nikhil says he is greatly inspired by Pavan Kalyan and Ravi Teja. “Every time I look at them, there is this feeling in my heart, to walk like them and to talk like them. That’s the kind of influence mass heroes have on viewers.”
He also added, his dream role would be that of Kamal Haasan’s character in ‘Sagara Sangamam’.
Recently caught for drunken-driving, Nikhil says it was a mistake for which he apologised to the police. He is also upset by the fact that there were huge numbers of people caught the same day, but he was targeted since he is a known face. “I agree it’s a mistake and people do tend to think that I am setting a wrong example. But, all I wanted was that the other people should have also been named.”
He also mentions, “I can’t risk anymore. I have a driver now.”
His upcoming movie is titled ‘Disco’, being directed Puri Jagannath’s assistant, Hari Krishna.