Allu Sirish is gung-ho before the release of 'ABCD' on May 17.  In this interview, the Mega hero talks about why he is sure about the entertainer's success, his experience of working with debutant director Sanjeev Reddy, what made him nostalgic while working on the film and more.  

What makes you so confident about 'ABCD'?

I have seen the first copy and I am quite impressed.  There is a good balance of everything, including drama.  The graph of the film is impressive.  Ram Charan, among others, felt that the story would suit me.  I liked the Malayalam original when I watched it.  But I had no idea that I would be doing its remake one day.  I wanted to do a slightly bigger film than what was coming my way.  'ABCD' was it.  

Nani and many have felt that 'ABCD' has thematic similarities with 'Pilla Zamindar'.  Do you agree?

I don't think my film is similar to 'Pilla Zamindar' barring the spoilt brat angle.  In 'ABCD', the father's character makes his son live in a slum and experience life. That was not the case in 'PZ'.

You were talking about angering your father by seeking as gift a costly sports car.  Tell us about that.  

I was fascinated by sports cars as a youngster and therefore asked my dad for one.  When he refused to get me the car, I understood how difficult it is to earn money even in single digits.  I used to travel by bus to college, saving Rs 100 per day.  That way, I used to meet my monthly expenditure within the budget sponsored by my father.  I used to stay at the house of a distributor to save on hostel rents.  I interned with a publication as a Mass Communication student.  I was a cub reporter but that wouldn't give me much income.  I did get an offer from a newspaper in Mumbai but I didn't take up the job keeping in mind high travelling time.  Some moments in 'ABCD' did remind me of that phase in my life.  

Your previous film, 'Okka Kshanam', was a flop.  What went wrong with it?

Maybe, the film needed more emotional play.  It was more about twists. The audience couldn't invest much in the main characters because of the way the rom-com tracks were dealt with.  The original climax was 'hatke'.  It was changed.  I was taken aback by the BO result for a couple of days.  I slowly accepted the result.  I met distributors, commoners, etc to analyze what went wrong.  

How have you changed as an actor over the years, since your debut film 'Gauravam'?

I am much more confident.  I have shed my inhibitions over the years. Comedy and romantic scenes I am able to improvize.  I am getting to work with great artists like Rao Ramesh garu.  I am learning by observing them on the sets.  They are known for making improvizations.  I am understanding how an actor has to adapt oneself to a character.  An actor has to add something more to what his or her director offers.  I learned spontaneity by hosting award functions.  You don't have retakes etc in such formats.  It was a great experience as everything is spontaneous.  In 'ABCD', too, lots of moments are organic.  

Does 'ABCD' have a political sub-plot?

There is a small political track, which helps in the transformation of my character.  How the situations change my character is what the film is about.

Did you guys consult anybody for suggestions?

Some people, like Krishna Chaitanya garu and Gopi Mohan garu, were given a narration of the script.  They did suggest changes.  We were extra cautious because this is a remake.

What kind of films do you like?

I like high-concept films, family dramas, etc.  Films like 'Okka Kshanam' won't be done again unless there is something exciting that comes after 2-3 films.

Is 'ABCD' a faithful remake?

The songs are entirely original.  Not just songs, most of the scenes are original.  We borrowed only 10-15 scenes from the original.  The heroine has got a different characterization, there is a new villain.  Remakes are not easy to be made.  A lot of effort goes into writing the script.  Remakes need more effort and caution.  First-time films can be made as per the gut feeling.

How was it working with director Sanjeev Reddy?

Sanjeev is a soft-spoken person.  He lets the characters interact and do something on our own after reading the script thoroughly.  More than technical knowledge, a director needs other qualities like the ability to extract performances, etc.  

Hasn't 'ABCD' got delayed?  It was supposed to release in February.  

My films get delayed often.  It happened with 'Okka Kshanam' too.  It happens even though I don't delay.  The design of those films was such that they got delayed.