Jr NTR believes his grandad's charisma cannot be recreated onscreen

Chennai: As much as actor Jr. NTR aspires to star in the biopic on his legendary grandfather Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR), he feels it will be extremely challenging to replicate the persona of the celebrated actor and politician onscreen.

"I want to star in the biopic on my grandfather, but I'm too afraid because it'll be impossible to play him. His aura, persona and charisma can't be recreated onscreen, no matter how hard one tries. I know for a fact that his will be a very inspiring story," NTR told IANS in an interview.

Having successfully sustained in the industry for nearly two decades, the 33-year old star, with successful films such as "Student No. 1", "Simhadri", "Yamadonga", "Brindavanam", "Temper" and "Naanaku Prematho" to his credit, has veered away from the star system.

"If I want to be remembered, I want to be known as a good actor. As times change, we as actors need to adapt with it. I like to be challenged as an actor, allowing myself to take up diverse roles. Even audiences get tired of watching their stars in similar roles over and over again," he said.

Popular among masses for his mass hero' image, NTR believes his fans have given him the freedom to experiment.

"If my fans only want me to do a certain kind of films, then 'Naanaku Prematho' would have failed miserably. They've entrusted me with the freedom to select good and different scripts. If the story is good, they'll like and accept any film, irrespective of its genre," he explained.

NTR awaits the release of Koratala Siva-directed "Janatha Garage", which hits the screens on Thursday, and sees him share screen space with Malayalam superstar Mohanlal.

The project, narrated to him two years ago, has been on his mind since then.

"Siva approached me with the script even before the release of 'Srimanthudu'. Even though I liked it, I wasn't ready to do it then. It was after I reinvented myself with projects such as 'Temper' and 'Naanaku Prematho', I was convinced to take up this offer," he said, adding it's one of the most satisfying scripts he has worked in recent times.

The film's story is about two men - one loves nature and Earth, while the other loves people.

"What happens when these two characters meet at crossroads? It's an interesting story, emphasising on the importance of nature and people in our lives, in a very commercial and entertaining way. This is probably one script that can't be dominated by actors. Here, there are only characters," he said.

Heaping praise on his director with whom he has teamed up for the first time, NTR said, "It's the fastest project I've worked on. All the credit goes to Siva for wrapping it up on time. Despite working on a very big set up featuring big technicians and a huge ensemble cast, Siva excelled in executing the project effortlessly."

On the career as well as personal front, NTR admits to have changed a great deal. He attributes it to the entry of his two-year old son, Abhay Ram, into his life.

"Becoming a father has changed me. Every decision I make in life, I think whether it'll be good for Abhay. I admit to have made some bad decision in the initial stage of my career and paid the price. I can't afford to do such a mistake again," he said, and added spending more time with his son has a very positive effect on him.

By Haricharan Pudipeddi