Akkineni Nagarjuna... Manmadhudu, Greeku Veerudu, King... It's not the titles that matter but the man himself. The cool seducing smile is on and wish him to continue to wear it forever. Everyone says his age has stuck at a figure and he wouldn’t reveal that figure. He challenges us to find out ourselves by Google. 95 films and counting... Is 'Bhai' his birthday gift to the fans.. Not exactly, he doesn’t believe in it. But yes, it's a good coincidence.

Birthday wishes embarrass me…

I am embarrassed generally coz I cannot wish them back. But looking at the wishes coming from various quarters, various channels like TV, Facebook, FM Radio, Newspapers, I am moved. I must have touched them somewhere sometime. I feel am a blessed soul.

This Birthday spent with IBL

Today I will be with IBL matches. I spent time with the IBL matches whenever Mumbai Masters played and the 2-3 hours was so tensed with all the Indian players playing on par with the foreign world ranking players. Yes, Lee Cheng Wei is the best singles player and the costliest Icon in the league but that’s not enough. The whole team has to play well and compliment him. Tina Baun hasn’t performed well till now. We are looking forward to her striking the form in the knockout leg.

Why Not Hyderabad…

We tried to bid for ‘Hyderabad’ team but PVP has already bought it and so, we went for the next best team, Mumbai Masters. After the first match was played, I was with Pullela Gopichand who was in the governing council of IBL who was all smiles and upbeat. I asked him the reason he said ‘When I played Badminton, there were hardly a handful of people in the stadium. But look at the crowds for the matches now. About 2-3 thousands of spectators and lacs watching it LIVE on Star and ESPN channels…’ That’s when I realized I didn’t do wrong by investing in the gem.

I Was A Bit Of Badminton Player...

Yes, I also played badminton right from when I was five. I was the ball boy when my father along with Jaggaiah, Gumamdi and others were playing in Saradhi Studios. Even my mother used to play. My expertise as ball boy then translated into sportsmanship. Till 25 I played and when in Vikram shooting I fell and hurt my knee, doctors suggested stop playing badminton and India lost a champion. I got introduced to Gopichand at the Nimmagadda Foundation and even today I visit the stadium, I play some celebrity matches, stand and deliver mode. When I got this opportunity of owning a team, I jumped at it.

Privileged To Be With Two Little Masters

It was a privilege to be associated with legends like Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar, who love sports and so, are in the frontline of encouraging Badminton.

My Racing Team

Even the racing came to me more by passion. I grew up on bikes, loved them and the kids now are addicted to bikes. The Hyderabad team of i1 Super Series is doing fantastic and are well ahead of others in the race as of now and surefire winners unless something drastic happens.

Passion and Profession...

Yeah, I am habituated by now managing both the raw and rugged down to earth masala side of mine that is Telugu films and the classy, articulate side that is sporting and business. One came to me by birth, I grew upon it watching my father, NTR etc. But the other grew in me over the years. One is my profession and the other is a pure passion. I enjoy both thoroughly and equally.

Bhai has three different characters

One as a Bhai in HK, Old city Bhai and then meets his family and takes care of them. So, all the three different shades. You might have seen me in ‘Don’ characters before with serious looks but this don is fun loving, always smiling with lot of stylish action, nothing violent. Dialogues are good, we used several slangs. Bhai has a look, as a don, he has long hair, walks in long coats…

I love doing experiments

I love the movie ‘Maya Bazaar’ for its content, a beautiful love story told in the most humorous tone. My father did Abhimanyu’s character when he was 25. So, I cannot dream of doing the same now (laughs). But we have to do those kind of films. Yes, I am confident of doing those characters but it’s the director that should be confident enough to present me in the role. Raghavendra Rao came to me when he had the script and the perfect design for ‘Annamayya’ or ‘Rama Dasu’ on hand. That’s what I would require.

Last Year Has Been Special...

This year, we had Naga Chaitanya’s ‘Tadakha’ and Sushanth’s ‘Adda’ doping well. I am really happy for them. Especially for Chaitanya, it’s important for him to succeed as a mass action hero as well. Earlier successes, both ‘Em Maya Chesave’ and ‘100% Love’ are love stories, like Geetanjali. But ‘Tadakha’ success could propel him to the next level.

The 3G Film Manam...

This year will mark two big things. First is the 3 generations of Akkineni family coming together in ‘Manam’. We have been working on the script for over a year and Vikram is doing a fabulous job. Two schedules are over with me and Chaitanya. September will see all of us shooting together. I worked with my father before but for Chaitanya, it will be a first time experience acting with his grandfather and me together. I am sure he will be nervous as hell and I am going to enjoy that… (Laughs)

I am on National TV Every Weekend...

I need not do any Bollywood film per se… You have all my films dubbed and played on National TV. Many people in Delhi and Mumbai watch me and congratulate me whenever they meet me. Someone mentioned that ‘Gaganam’ was played on the Independence Day and he loved it.

Akhil Will Be Launched in 2014...

I am happy that even my sons are interested in acting. Chaitanya is building his career and we are planning to launch Akhil soon. We thought we will leave this year and start listening to scripts from the next year onwards. I want him to grow as an actor and he has ample time to become a star since he is just about 19 years of age. Look at Ranbir Kapoor, he has shown versatility with just about 5,6 films. Barfi, YJHD, Rock star and even Besharam trailers are good. I want Akhil to grow like that.

Am I The Style Icon ...?

My habits are my glamour. I have the same habits for the past 25 years. It's the consistency that’s important. Monday to Saturday, I keep it simple but on Sunday, I do whatever I dream. I call it the cheating day. Style doesn’t come by design or practice. Style is the w