Nani had just delivered the biggest hit of his career in Bhale Bhale Magadivoy (BBM) in 2015. His next, Krishna Gaadi Veera Prema Gaadha , had the trappings of a film that will appeal to a wide audience. Conventionally speaking, one would have expected him to choose mass masala projects to further his stardom. But Nani had quietly begun working on Gentleman , a thriller directed by his mentor Indraganti Mohanakrishna, a filmmaker known for sensible cinema that doesn’t play by box office rules.
Now that Gentleman is complete and the team is working towards the release, Nani looks back with conviction. “So many people asked me not to do this film. They felt I should be doing something massy. But I knew what I wanted,” he tells us.
The period before Yevade Subramanyam and BBM was bleak, with his films failing at the box office. He’s happy with his current streak of success but doesn’t believe in restricting himself to films considered safe bets. “I might need to do four films to get the success that someone else might with one blockbuster. But 10 or 20 years later, when people watch my films, I don’t want them to say ‘in those days it was a hit, but now it looks so silly’. Work is enjoyable when you do something you believe in. It’s fun to go against the grain.”
With Gentleman , Nani has come a full circle. The former RJ and assistant director was launched as an actor with Indraganti’s Ashta Chamma in 2008. The endearing fun flick is still re-visited online and on television. “The first film usually tends to be a nerve-wracking experience. But Ashta Chamma was fun all along. Aaduthu paaduthu gadichipoyindhi . After seven years, I had a similar fun experience. Mohanakrishna, Srinivas Avasarala, Surabhi, Niveda, PG Vinda are full of energy,” says Nani. He credits Mohanakrishna for his nuanced filmmaking and practical approach: “He is a rare mentor who doesn’t expect anything from his protégés. He was clear that I do the film only if I like it and not as an obligation.”
Gentleman is billed as an intriguing thriller and its protagonist has shades of grey. David Nathan’s story has been adapted by Mohanakrishna. “He chooses the actor according to the story and not the other way around. Mohanakrishna called me saying he came across an exciting story. I heard it and loved it. He reworked the story and finished the script in a month. He is one of the finest writers we have today in Telugu cinema. There was no reason for me to refuse this film. As a viewer, I’d love to watch a film like this,” says Nani.
His role of a youngster stuck in the corporate rat race, struggling to find his identity in Yevade Subrahmanyam clinched this role for Nani. He rates his character in Gentleman to be the toughest so far. “We are used to watching heroes who do no bad. His family, friends and even the villain and his goons shower praises on him. If that isn’t enough, the hero has dialogues where he talks about his own qualities. Gentleman has none of this. The audience will keep wondering if I’m a hero or a villain. The last 30 minutes, I feel, is the most gripping part of the film.”
Having seen the final cut, Nani is proud of the project. “I hope this film clicks, for three reasons — for Mohanakrishna to get his due; the success of such films will pave way for new ideas; and I want to prove my detractors wrong.”
Next, there’s a film directed by Virinchi and a project with Dil Raju’s production house. Nani is a film lover first and then an actor. “My friends know my journey from an RJ to an assistant director and then an actor. Somehow I have this reputation of a guy who does good, watchable films. Even today people come up and tell me they liked Pilla Zamindar . I don’t want to break their faith. If BBM did a business of over one million in the US, it didn’t happen overnight. The path I choose will make me a star gradually but I prefer that kind of strong stardom than losing credibility.”
