HYDERABAD : Wondering where the tall and suave Udbhav Raghunandan, aka Chicago Subbarao, who has been entertaining us on YouTube with videos of the daily struggles and experiences of a Telugu NRI been? Well, Prudhvi Raj Sampara, 29, has changed his name to Udbhav and on November 13 is coming to an OTT near you!
Alongside Punarnavi Bhupalam of Bigg Boss fame, Udbhav will be seen in TVF’s first original series Permanent Roommates’s Telugu remake titled CommitMental on Aha. An excited Udbhav shares, “This was the break I was hoping for. I quit my job in the US and moved to India last December in an effort to make an acting career.” A student of Little Flower High School, Abids, Udbhav admits that even though he has become a household name with ‘Chicago Subbarao’, it was not an easy decision to quit work and move back.
“My parents are conventional people and felt the film business is risky, but appreciating my talent and seriousness, they have thrown their weight firmly behind me,” he shares. Careful not to reveal much about his role in the rom-com, except to say the lead pair has bitter-sweet personalities, he says, “It is completely different from my YouTube character.” After honing his talent by attending workshops and acting classes, he auditioned for the lead role of Phani in this hugely successful Hindi series’ Telugu remake.
“We started shooting in March and then the lockdown happened. We resumed shooting in September and now the five-episode season one is ready to be released,” says he super thrilled about his debut series. The upcoming web drama is directed by Pavan Sadineni of Prema Ishq Kadhal fame. “I am lucky to have him as a director in my debut series,” comments Udbhav. “Punarnavi made me feel so comfortable on sets, and that is evident in the chemistry we share on screen,” comments he about his co-star.
Permanent Roommates stood out with its engaging slice-of-life narration and was a trendsetter. CommitMental aims to replicate the same success in the regional segment. Udbhav is a complete Tollywood enthusiast. He feels encouraged by the shift in the Telugu cinema. A fan of Ayushmann Khurrana, he says, “I want to play everyday characters that are relatable – like a common’s man hero.” As he continues to scout for meaningful work, Udbhav says, “My dream is to be on the big silver screen.”
(Tamanna S Mehdi tamanna@newindianexpress.com @tamannamehdi)