In this exclusive interview to IndiaGlitz, actor Sunil speaks in a no-holds-barred manner. After speaking stuff about his forthcoming movie, the witty actor answers a range of questions. He speaks about social media obsession, becoming a villain, what he has learnt from Sridevi and more.

Most non-routine movie:

'Eedu Gold Ehe' is a family entertainer with loads of twists. There is a crime angle. I have done a film like this for the first time. It's the most non-routine movie I have done since 'Maryada Ramanna'. My movies haven't had rave reviews since 'Maryada Ramanna'. But this one will be liked by one and all. Watching 'Andala Ramudu', 'Poola Rangadu', 'Bhimavaram Bullodu', and 'Jakkanna', one would know what is going to happen. But 'Maryada Ramanna' and 'Eedu Gold Ehe' belong to a league of their own. If I don't say that, the audience will discover it themselves. So, why hide it?

Two characters:

I am playing two characters here. If I say I enjoyed myself doing both, you won't be thrilled. If I say one thrilled me more than the other, it would be a lie. The second character has a bearing on the first character. The first one is tensed because of the second. Veeru Potla is the 'kartha', 'karma' and 'kriya' of the movie. I am happy that I got to work with a most creative director after many years.

Mad about music:

Sagar Mahati is not someone who capitalizes on his father's (Mani Sharma) name. He is so mad about music that he doesn't think twice before going the extra mile to spend form his pocket to ensure the output is up-to-the-mark. Even if he weren't Mani Sharma garu's son, he would be a music director of a standing.

Earned more as a comedian:

As a comedian, I used to have a lot of leeway and scope. My role would have no much relation to the story. Even earning-wise, my total income used to be more back then. After becoming a hero, my income has come down, frankly speaking. Many of my friends in the industry, including Ravi Teja, keep telling me that I am losing a lot of money. But money is never the priority to me. As an artiste, applause is what matters to me. Money follows automatically. As a comedian, there were instances when I used to complete dubbing even before I was paid my remuneration.

Not a wrong step:

I don't think turning a hero was a wrong step. Those who think I should have remained a comedian feel they would then have got to see me in some movie or the other every week. Instead of being seen in 4-5 scenes in a movie, I am now getting to be seen in 70 scenes once every three months as a male lead. I am deliberately choosing scripts with a lot of potential to do comedy.

Sorry about that:

Missing out on 'Khaidi No. 150' is very sad. I couldn't allot call sheets because the climax of 'Eedo Gold Ehe', which involves 52 artistes, was to be shot during the same period. Ali is doing the role I was supposed to do. He is doing it very well.

Turning a villain in 2017:

I am going to play a villain's role next year. But it will be a non-Telugu movie. It would be risky to do such a role here. It has been my long-time desire to do a villainous role with fun touch, just the way Mohan Babu garu used to do.

RGV felt it otherwise:

I wanted to become a villain. While everybody would see a comedian in me, Ram Gopal Varma garu saw a villain in me. That's what he said when I approached him for a role during the days of 'Prema Katha'. Even though I always wanted to be a villain on screen, I felt sad when he said that because I didn't bag a role.

A mixture I am:

Nobody knows that I am a mixture of Sridevi garu and Kota Srinivas Rao garu. I am bowled over by Sridevi garu's portrayal of amusement and surprise. She is like a goddess to me. I never see her as a hot actress. She is a cute actress to me. If I can get 5 per cent of her camera sense, it would be great.

Social media & insecurity:

I only doing a lot of retweets nowadays. Firstly, I am poor at English. Anyways, I think no busy person would while away time tweeting every minute. A Steve Jobs, a Bill Gates, a Pawan Kalyan garu wouldn't do that. In my opinion, those who spend too much time on social media are insecure. Why should they bombard others with info about what they are feeding to their dog, when they are taking bath, etc? Why should others care? Others would other have used that time to read useful books, etc.

Gossips don't hurt:

Initially, gossips hurt. But as time passes, one gets used to them. There comes a point where, when nobody writes gossips, one starts worrying if nobody cares for him/her any more. Gossips shouldn't be hurtful. Especially in media covering Bollywood, a lot of cheap things are written about girls. One has to put oneself in the shoes of that person and think how one would feel if it were his sister who was in that actress' place.

Caste doesn't matter:

That was not a scripted interview. The host told me beforehand that he won't be asking insipid questions and that the questions will be frank. I happily said yes because I too wanted a frank interview. I told him that the stronger the questions, the stronger will my answers be. The question itself was inappropriate. So, I didn't want to entertain that. To me, caste hasn't mattered ever since childhood. I am a Kshatriya and my best friend Trivikram Srinivas is a Brahmin. Ramoji Rao garu, in whose production I debuted, is a Chowdhary. I am what I am because of everybody's support.

Welfare work:

It has been my wish to adopt at least 10 mentally-challenged children and create an environment for them, at my own cost, to help them grow in their own world. They have a beautiful world of their own and it's only specially-abled ones in whose presence they