I've never looked more tapori than I do in the Bruce Lee song: Ram Charan

There can be no denying, that the prospect of witnessing the superstar father and son duo of Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan appearing together in the same frame is the biggest allure of Bruce Lee which released today. the real spectacle of the movie though could be Ram Charan himself ' a 'lungi-clad Bruce Lee,' so to speak! 'I'm going to look like a slimmer version of Bappi Lahari,' reveals Charan, who has experimented with the massy sarong for the first time in the title track Bruce Lee.Now, it's common knowledge that no Tollywood star looked as cool in a lungi as his Megastar father did in his heyday. But it would come as a surprise to many that Charan is 'quite a lungi guy' himself. The Mega Power Star admitted as much as he sat down for a chat with Hyderabad Times. Excerpts:
It must be easier to dance in a lungi, no? (Laughs) Well, it's the first time I'm trying out a lungi in a film, but I'm quite a lungi guy at home, you know. I love my khaddar lungi, especially to destress from the fatigue that sets in from wearing designer clothes day in and day out during film shoots. So, I was quite comfortable. But trust me, I've never looked as tapori as I do in the Bruce Lee song. I had a blast shooting for it. Shah Rukh had dropped in on the sets of the last day of the shoot when we were wrapping up the song. He sat down for a good 45 minutes and saw the song shoot. It's a full on massy dance number and the fans will love it.
With Bruce Lee releasing today, does the burden of expectations make you nervous? Yes, I do get nervous, but I don't show it. While most guys might smoke or catch a drink or indulge themselves in lip smacking food, I sort of vent it out in the kitchen. When stressed out, I start cooking. So it's like the disturbance in my mind gets reflected in my kitchen. Like for last Dasara, my film Govindudu Andarivadele had just released and I treated my wife Upasna to a Thanksgiving Turkey lunch to beat the stress of the release. I haven't made up my mind about what I'll whip up this Dasara though.
So is that how Upasna gets to sample her superstar husband's mood swings ' on the dinner table? Yes. No matter how the dish turns out, she has to say, 'It's awesome,' because I have a release coming up (laughs). But while Upsi is the first to taste my gourmet specialities, she is also my harshest critic. She can be absolutely ruthless when taking my case.
Tell us about your role in Bruce Lee... I play a stuntman, Karthik, a completely fun guy, who is used to having his way no matter what. He has no personal ambition and loves his sister so much that his only aim in life is to help his sister get everything she wants from life. I have two sisters ' one elder and another younger to me ' and I connected with that aspect of Karthik's character sketch. At a time where joint families are on the decline, it is rare to find such a guy who takes responsibility for his family. The best scenes in the film are those involving Kriti Kharbanda and me. Even though she is about three years younger than me, she plays my elder sister in the movie. Kriti was fabulous in the role and the equation between Kriti and me is the soul of the film. It's a good film, like Bajrangi Bhaijaan or Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, that is rooted in good old values, but is also incredibly entertaining.
Director Sreenu Vaitla reckons that Bruce Lee will unleash a hitherto unseen comic side of you... Oh! I think he has just over-hyped my performance. I did not really go all out like a Ravi Teja would, but still, I did go out of my way to pull off the comedy. Sreenu Vaitla has written the film in such a way that those scenes would be as entertaining, no matter who did them. Even a serious scene with a villain will have the audiences in splits. The entire film has a underlying humour, which is an integral part of the script. I play the body double of an aging superstar, Blockbuster Brahmaji, who's been around for 30 years. The exchanges between me and Brahmaji are hilarious to say the least. Then in the second half, Brahmanandam enters the scene and he is a complete riot. The best part of the second half is going to be Megastar Chiranjeevi though. If I was not my dad's son, I would have spoken much more about his role.
What can the audience expect from the Megastar's cameo? It's been over six years since he was last seen on screen (in the Bangaru Kodipetta song from Magadheera) and somehow, there seems to be a greater buzz about his presence in this film, than last time. Let's just say, it will go down as one of the best comeback scenes ever. Or rather, a teaser for the 150th film, which will come out next year. However, it's a cameo that will leave the fans hooting. I personally designed his look in the film and we flew in designers from Italy to dress him up. He has been working out every day since the last few months and is looking absolutely smashing. In fact, he'll look as good as he did, say, a little after Gang Leader.
There has been a lot of buzz about the action episodes in the film... Let me tell you, I've never hurt myself on the set as many times as I did for this film. I'm still nursing a stiff neck, a swollen wrist and a sore lower back. The stunts were back-breaking to say the least, especially one particular episode for which we shot in the high seas, a 1.5-hour cruise off the Malaysian shores. To make matters worse, it was high tide and I had to do stunts on a speed boat.
For five days, we lived on a cargo ship like the sailors do. I must thank producer Danayya for his unflinching support. It was a pleasure to work for his banner DVV Entertainments. A lot of producers would've deliberated on the financial viability, but not Danayya. I'm sure the result is there for everyone to see on screen.