Ram on 'Vunnadi Okate', bilinguals & more [Interview]
- IndiaGlitz, [Tuesday,October 24 2017]
Ram Pothineni is positive about 'Vunnadi Okate Zindagi' (Oct 27 release) connecting well with the audience. Saying that he does all films with confidence, the chocolate boy talks about the film, his role, how he sees friendship, and more.
'VOZ' tells the story of Abhiram's life. It seems to be biographical. What is the character's arc and what is the place of the other characters?
Abhiram's journey is narrated in three silos: Teen days, college days and adulthood. He knows that life is simple and it's complicated by us. He evolves over the years. His best friend Vasu (played by Sri Vishnu) is by his side. There are love stories (involving Lavanya Tripathi and Anupama Parameswaran) in his life.
Abhiram is the kind of person I look up to. I try to be like him and I see him as my role model. In the trailer, he is seen talking about the distinction between a best friend and a lover. Such relatable thoughts abound in the film. A stylish guitarist in the college, he leads a band.
How was it teaming up with Kishore Tirumala, your 'Nenu Sailaja director?
It was nice working with him again. We shared a lot of experiences in the pre-production stage. He has brought his vision of the character and his imagination of Abhiram, and so have I. Any character is a combination of the aforementioned four thought-processes.
Does the film pit friendship against love? Who are your best friends?
You have to watch it on the screen. Friendship is an important motif of the film. Friendship as a tale on the screen is something the audience can relate to big-time. It's because everybody, both the rich man and the rickshaw puller, nows friendship.
I have quite many friends. Sharath, who lives in Chennai, is my best friend.
You team up with Sravanthi Ravikishore time and again. What makes your combo tick for you?
It's not about he putting money in my film. That's not a big deal at all. What matters the most is that we both enjoy discussing the script. We like to debate and reflect on the things. Our wavelength is just perfect. That's why we team up a lot.
Devi Sri Prasad's numbers are quite entertaining. How has the journey been with him?
When you tell him the situation, he gets the drift and delivers the output. As always, it was a pleasure working with Devi.
How do you space your movies? Sometimes there is a long gap, sometimes there is not much. Is it all conscious?
I say OK to a line and they start working on it. So, everything depends on me liking a script. There is no plan as it's not in my hands. I don't space my films as per a schedule.
Telugu-Tamil bilinguals are the flavour of the season. You did 'Endukante Premanta'. Are you going in for it?
It is different to deal with both the languages at once. What I like watching in Tamil may not work for me when I watch it in Telugu. I know as I have grown in Chennai.
Do you take failures in your stride? What happens post a flop?
I cogitate over the causes of failure. We like certain elements and make a movie. Sometimes it doesn't go down well with the audience. We make films with confidence in the subject.
What are your upcoming movies?
Work on a few lines I have liked is going on. Once someething has been confirmed, it will be made official.