SP Charan is making a comeback to Telugu cinema after 2015's Tamil-Telugu film Moodu Mukkallo Cheppalante. Interestingly, the film stars Charan in the role of a father, the kind of character his father SP Balasubramanyam played many times, sometimes more memorably than others. Ahead of its release on April 4, the team of LYF - Love Your Father, Charan, Sri Harsha and director Pavan Ketharaju, had an exclusive chat with CE.
The film, produced by Kishore Rathi, Mahesh Rathi, and Ramaswamy Reddy, follows a father-son duo, played by Charan and Sri Harsha, as they take on a betting mafia. For Charan, the title alone was enough to pique his interest in the film. Speaking about it, he says, “I was trying to emulate my father while doing this character. I wanted to present my father’s principles in Kishore, the role I played. The director might have taken it differently, but there were subtle insertions of what dad would have done, how he would have reacted.”
It’s an admission that carries a weight beyond performance. SP Balasubrahmanyam is a name etched in the annals of Indian cinema and music, and Charan, self-admittedly, lives in its shadow. “My life is full of challenges. I am constantly compared with SP Balasubramanyam gaaru, my father. This is yet another challenge, but you have to come past that. If I keep those expectations in my head, I can’t live a life. I can’t get bogged down with the thought that, ‘Oh, he is such a legendary figure, as his son, will I live up to him?’” he says.
And it’s a reality that never fades. “Even today, as I host Padutha Theeyaga, many people come to the set and say, ‘We couldn’t get a chance to meet your father, so we came to meet you.’ Not a day goes by where I don’t hear my dad’s name,” Charan reflects. “It’s a good thing, but then again, I have to live up to that pedda vruksham (gigantic tree) called SP Balasubramanyam. I have to learn from him, taking him as an example. I have to limit my own life many times to live up to that expectation.”
It’s a strange duality, of pride and pressure, that he says he had to navigate his entire career. “As a son, if I am at my house listening to dad’s songs, extraordinary songs they are, I momentarily forget that he is my dad and fall in love with that singing. How could he have sung like this? He is SP Balasubramanyam first and then, he is my dad,” he declares.
Sri Harsha, who makes his debut with LYF, has had the privilege of learning firsthand from Charan. He says, “We used to discuss every scene before the shoot. If there were places I would go haywire or if there was a doubt, I would ask Charan sir and he would help me. He used to give many tips. When I took more shots for one tough scene, he calmed me down, saying, ‘Take it slow.’”
Director Pavan Ketharaju reveals that the film is based on a real-life incident. “Some 3-4 years ago, I read about a real incident in the newspaper about a person who, whenever he saw an unclaimed dead body, would take care of their final rites. He was not a rich person, but he felt it was a noble deed. I was a co-director then, but I took this article snap and kept it in the scripts folder on my laptop. Whenever I used to open that, I saw that article and it used to impact me emotionally every time I saw it.”
It was this inspiration that eventually led him to cast Charan in the film. “I wanted a fresh chemistry between father and son. If a regular artist does that, I felt the magic would be missing. While I was working on the script, I used to watch the Padutha Theeyaga programme every day. When I saw SP Charan gaaru in it, I connected with him,” he reveals. The filmmaker goes on to add, “Eventually, I approached him through a common contact, who worked as an arranger for MM Keeravani gaaru. Through that, I got a chance to narrate the story to him. I was hell-bent at one point that without SP Charan gaaru, this film will not happen.”
Despite his ease on camera, Charan admits acting is the most challenging of all his pursuits, “I don’t get too many roles. It’s not like I finished this film and the next schedule is waiting for me. There is a lot of gap between each project for me, there is always a restart factor for each one. So I always feel some anxiety that again, I have to face a new director, new cameraman, new team.”
Through all these challenges, the most enduring lesson from his father remains simple. “Be true to yourself, no matter what, whether it is right or wrong. You need to be honest with yourself. Once you gain an understanding of yourself as a human, that’s it, be like that. Even if you’re wrong, you stick to yourself. You should not live your life for those four people who might talk about you behind you. That’s what I learnt from my father,” he states.
Charan’s reflections also extend to the evolution of cinema and music. “The good thing is that there are immense possibilities today. Back in the day, we used to restrict ourselves to a particular storytelling grammar. Today, we broke those dated rules. The world has opened up to a lot of content. We are watching content in all languages, and that promises immense possibilities for makers. Except for censors, there is no limitation today. We also have technicians’ accessibility today. You can randomly message an international technician on social media, tell them that you are planning a particular challenging shot and get their advice. Cinema has shrunk the world today. It’s a very exciting moment.”
But he also voices concern over excess, “We are pushing it too much with vulgarity, this is just my opinion. I understand that the younger generation keeps pushing the envelope. Even the ones who push it also have viewership. Possibilities are there, but good and bad are also there.”
As for what’s next, SP Charan is clear: “I won’t do father roles anymore. I want to push myself and try new, challenging roles.”