Sundeep and the three phases of his life

Actor Sundeep Kishan turned 27 on Tuesday and he says that his journey into filmdom was so hectic that he never realised when he grew up so much. “I was 16 when I began my trials and as my tryst with films began, I lost count of time till recently,” says the actor who saw his first commercial success with the film ‘Venkatadri Express’ (VE).

So how is the success treating him? “I think after the success of VE, I have gained respect and also people consider me a bankable actor. That is a great feeling,” explains Sundeep, adding that he still needs to be trusted by the audiences – “Every actor has three important stages in his career – 1. When a director believes in him 2. When a producer believes in him and 3. When the audience believe in him. I think I have crossed the first two stages and now is the chance to pass the third. It’s at this stage that people feel ‘Oh, it’s Sundeep’s movie. We could watch it once.’”

Sundeep says that he is proud of what he has achieved today and points out how many of his peers are still struggling while he has seen some success. He says, “I have some credibility now and that gives a satisfaction.” While VE gave the necessary dash of success and boost to his career, Sundeep will not let that be an “only” for him and is already busy shooting for two other films, one of which is Regina and Jagapathi Babu-starrer ‘Ra Ra Krishnayya’ which is set to release soon. “Though I have done many romantic comedies till now, this will be my first full-on love story. Added to my character are the roles of Regina and Jagapathi Babu which are on par with mine,” he reveals.

Earlier Sundeep had worked for nearly no remuneration for many of his films. Is that saga still continuing? “My survival is important too! I think from now I will take what I deserve for my hard work (laughs).” When asked why he is slowly inclining towards commercial cinema, he denies and says, “Anything that the audience watched is commercial cinema. I will do any kind of movie that I will enjoy. But I have decided that in future I will do only one film at a time because that reduces the confusion that is caused due to constant shuffling.” Now that he is seeing some success and is “settled”, is marriage on the cards anytime soon? “My goodness! Why would I get married? I am just 27 and single. There’s a lot of time for that.”