Sharwanand is happy that his performance in 'Jaanu' has come in for critical acclaim. In this interview, he talks about the experience of doing the "most difficult film", teaming up with Samantha Akkineni and director C Premkumar, his future projects, the subject of the Summer release 'Sreekaram' and more.

Had my doubts

Since '96' is a classic, I did have my doubts about whether I should act in its remake. Like in the case of 'Shatamanam Bhavati', I went by Dil Raju anna's judgement and did the movie. I didn't go back to '96' once I agreed to act in 'Jaanu'. I completely surrendered to the director's vision. The first two schedules left me in confusion as to what exactly he wants from me and my character. It's only after Samantha started shooting for the film that I started understanding things.

Fear of comparisons was there

On the face of it, shooting for this film should have been easy, given that the entire story unfolds over a night. However, it turned out to be the most difficult movie to do. The fear of comparisons was always there. Had something gone wrong, I would have been badly trolled. I don't see myself as having done better than my co-star. I and Samantha complemented each other in the film. That's how I see it.

Personally I could relate to the story

We all have a first love and most of us have failed to marry that person. I fall in the majority category and I could relate to 'Jaanu' on several levels. I could relate to Samantha's character saying that she waited for Ram (male lead in 'Jaanu') to turn up at her wedding. It's because something close to this actually happened in my life.

That's why no changes were made

Changes were not made to the original because '96' is a classic. We just wanted to recreate the magic. 'Jaanu' is nothing like a remake. It is like an original film. That's the best feedback we have received. I am glad that many are saying that they didn't remember Vijay Sethupathy and Trisha while the film.

Lived the character

It was not easy to get out of the mood of my character. I had to live the character every day. As an actor, I got to learn so much by observing Samantha. Nobody becomes a superstar for no reason. Thanks to the director, the entire second half could focus entirely on just two characters. A film is entertaining if it manages to keep the audience glued to the screen.

Sai Kumar, the actor who has played my younger version, is surprisingly close to me in terms of looks. I was surprised when I saw him. As for the music, Govind Vasantha's music is soulful.

On 'Sreekaram'

'Sreekaram' is scheduled to release in April and it's about why a farmer shouldn't become a farmer when the children of doctors become doctors, actors become actors, so on and so forth. It doesn't touch upon any issues, nor does it blame the system. It's a very genuine film that is practical in its solutions. It's a conflict between a father and his son.

Doing more movies at a time

Till before two years, I had a row of hits. The failure of 'Padi Padi Leche Manasu' and 'Ranarangam' weighed on my mind. I accepted two more movies even while doing 'Jaanu'. After 'Padi Padi Leche Manasu', I decided to do three movies at a time and move on to another set once I complete them. I am not sorted about doing a bilingual as yet. It's not easy to manage a bilingual.

As an actor, I was looking for a wide appreciation for my acting. With 'Jaanu', that wish stands fulfilled.