Srinu will bounce back with a vegeance

Varun Tej is surprisingly relaxed considering the fact that his upcoming film ‘Mister’ is all set to hit the silver screens on April 14. He attributes this to his confidence on the project. Speaking to `TheHans India’, the four-film old Varun shared his experiences of working with director Srinu Vaitla and much more.

“If you’ve observed my choice of the first three films I’ve done, they were all different characterizations be it ‘Mukunda’, ‘Kanche’ or ‘Loafer’. ‘Mister’ is an entertaining love story that perfectly suits my age. I connected with the script instantly since there are varied shades to my character,” said Varun. So, who helps him take a call on the scripts? His father? “No!” comes the prompt reply.

I interact with my father whenever I am not shooting. He is happy with my progress but never advises me on scripts. He says that I have to traverse my own journey.” So far, he has worked only with established directors such as Srikanth Addala, Krrish, Puri Jagan and now Srinu Vaitla. Is he averse to working with newcomers considering that his next project ‘Fidha’ is also in the direction of Shekhar Kammula, a seasoned hand.

“Nothing of that sort,” he quips and adds, “I was injured during ‘Mister’ and while recuperating, I listened to many scripts from newcomers but didn’t like them much. Only 25 days shooting days left for ‘Fidha’. However, my next movie will be directed by a debutant Atluri.” Speaking about his role in ‘Mister’, Varun says, “I play a warm-hearted guy always at the forefront in helping those in need.

When such a person faces problems, what he does to win his love forms the crux of story. The roles of the heroines Hebah Patel and Lavanya Tripathi have been well-etched out and the movie revolves around three of us.” Srinu Vaitla hasn’t been having a great time at the box-office of late. What is Varun’s take on that? “Success and failure are common in the industry. Just because your previous films haven’t done well does not mean that you cannot do well in future.

Srinu Vaitla is an immensely talented and experienced director. I feel privileged to have worked with him. Early in his career, he made cute romantic love stories such as ‘Nee Kosam’ and ‘Anandam’. Then he switched over to pure commercial cinema keeping in mind the image of the stars he worked with. He is a very hard working person and an inspiration to me. He will definitely bounce back with a vengeance,” smiles Varun!

By Sridhar Adivi