Jagapathi Babu needs no introduction. His life has gone through many phases, peaks and troughs. In order not to give up the moment, he bounced back as the baddie with Legend and treaded a path for his counterparts.
Now, Jagapathi Babu is looking forward to the release of Patel SIR wherein he plays the titular role. The actor plays his age and sports his favorite salt-and-pepper look. In a hindsight, he plays a solo hero after a gap of six years and he is happy with the buzz the film has garnered among the movie buffs. “Patel SIR has raised a lot of curiosity. The film has transcended boundaries as people from different countries including Pakistan has been tweeting good things about my look and the film. I think that speaks volumes about the expectations on the project."
So what’s the SIR stands for? “Akin to FIR (First Information Report), SIR stands for Senior Individual Revenge. The film is all about a man’s revenge and is stuffed with exciting twists and turns,” he adds.
The actor talks fondly about his producer Sai Korrapati for taking a big risk with Patel SIR. “Initially, I was apprehensive and asked Sai whether he can afford me as I have been donning different roles and explained to him that it’s a gutsy call to cast me as a hero. He has a clear vision about what he wanted and credit to him for making the impossible possible. He took the film to the audience and I will be disappointed if people say Patel Sir is not a super hit.”
Speaking about his role Jagapathi says, “I did what my role had demanded. The action sequences are natural and nothing is difficult about it. I hate the idea to thrash 40-50 goons. Rather, you will see the heartache and struggle of a middle-aged man.”
It may be a slow progression for Jagapathi but he’s glad that it has been a great and steady one. And he takes the pride for setting a trend with his looks and comeback with Legend. “I like to lead life on my own terms. I like to be natural and doesn’t like to colour my hair. I had a very long career and I like to keep on working. I’m fortunate to get good opportunities.”
He was once called the Amitabh Bachchan of Tollywood and Jagapathi Babu says he sees a lot of parallels between his life and that of the Bollywood legend. “I can see a lot of similarities in my life with Big B. He acted as a hero, his days of bankruptcy, his rise and now he is playing different roles. If you notice that, my life has parallels to him. I must admit that I respect Big B and I follow him.”
Does he have any Bollywood plans? “Bollywood filmmakers take time to approach actors from South. I was supposed to set my foot in Hindi with Nannaku Prematho and Srimanthudu in Hindi. But, things never worked out and I’m waiting for the right opportunity.” he adds.
The actor also plans to revive his production Jagapathi Cinema and is happy to launch fresh talent with Patel SIR. “A few actors from my portal Cine Click Cart are going to be launched with Patel SIR. As for production, I’m in no hurry and don’t want to make any mistake with my money,” concludes Jagapathi Babu, who has a raft of new films like Oxygen and Jaya Janaki Nayaka and Goodhachari on the anvil.