I am at liberty to explore varied roles: Avasarala

The first Tollywood flick to be hitting the screens following the ‘Baahubali 2’ mania would be ‘Babu Baga Busy’ which is releasing on May 5. Starring Srinivas Avasarala in the lead, the adult-comedy is a remake of the Bollywood adult-comedy ‘Hunterr’. Srinivas talks to our correspondent Sridhar Adivi on the film and his role of a sex-addict which generated quite a bit of attention.

Q. In complete contrast to your image, you have opted for a bold role in ‘Babu Baga Busy’. What made you do this film?
A. As an actor, you would not want to conform to an image and are constantly on the lookout for challenging and different roles. This was one such role. I am looking to play varied characters and doing the same kind of roles tends to get boring. For instance, my characterisation in ‘Gentleman’ was very different compared to my earlier films and so is the one in ‘Babu Baga Busy’.

Q. If the audience accepts you in this role, are you not worried about being typecast?
A. No! I am now in that happy space where I can afford to choose the characters I do. Following the success of ‘Oohalu Gusa Gusa Laade’ and ‘Jo Atchuthananda’, I am working on the script for my third film as director. Writing and direction takes a lot of time and dedication. Therefore, I will only do roles that stimulate me.

Q. Tell us something about this film! Is it a faithful remake and how prepared are our audiences for this kind of films?
A. It is a faithful remake although there have been certain changes made to suit our nativity. A friend of mine said: ‘If Queen (Kangana Ranaut starrer) was for women then ‘Babu Baga Busy’ is for men’. Tanikella Bharani garu also labeled our film as something being in the category of ‘Ladies Tailor’, a film which was far ahead of its time when it was released. Personally, I would say that ‘Babu Baga Busy’ is an honest diary of a 30-year old and the people in his life. As to how people would receive it, I am not really worried. They would come watch it if they like the plot or stay away. I believe there is a certain set of audiences who watch my films. My only concern at the end of the day is whether I have delivered as an actor in line with the expectations of the director.

Q. What are your upcoming projects?
A. I’ve been working on a script for some time now. It’s a thriller. Everything will be finalized once the script is ready. As an actor, I’m doing ‘Ami Tumi’ in the direction of Mohan Krishna Indraganti. Then there is another project ‘Meda Paina Abbayi’. Director Neelkanta is also contemplating a sequel to his ‘Show’, titled ‘Second Show’ with me in the lead.