Acting is my passion

All ready to head back home from Australia after entertaining a large Telugu audience there with his stellar voice and endearing personality, Rakendu Mouli Vennelakanti is gearing up for a busy few months to come. On call from Sydney, the multifaceted young man talks about his decision to step into the world of web, with three web series lined up. The lyricist, singer and actor, who has written for and appreciated by stalwarts like AR Rahman, has yet again taken on something new to keep up with the ever-changing market.

Listing the many reasons why he chose to venture into web series, Rakendu, known for his work in films such as ‘Andala Rakshasi’, ‘Kirrak Party’ and ‘Sahasam Swasaga Sagipo’, says, “There are no censor issues. It doesn’t mean the content has to be bold or adult, but even casual. There is a lot of freedom to explore myself as an actor here. For example, I am playing a character that is 10 years older to me in one web series and I am playing a character that is 10 years younger to me in another. Also, nowadays, young working professionals, especially the IT crowd, which is huge in number, don’t have the time to go to multiplexes and spend time on a feature-length film unless it is of a very big actor.

They are finding it more comfortable to stay in and watch about 20-minute clips and unwind.” Talking about his projects that will be airing on free downloadable apps, he says, “I am acting in a bilingual web series in Telugu and Tamil for Zee 5 called ‘Whatsapp Panimanushulu’ (‘Whatsapp Velakari’ in Tamil). On the app Viu, I am doing a series called ‘Ee Office Lo’, and for Dish TV, I am doing an adult comedy.” While no date has been finalised for their release, Rakendu is sure that they will happen soon. His silver screen career is also quite in the front yard, with his feature films, ‘My Dear Marthandam’, ‘Pallevasi’ and ‘Beyond Life’ set to release within the next two months.

Talking about managing his time between his writing and acting, Rakendu, the son of legendary lyricist Vennelakanti, explains, “Writing has always come naturally to me since I have grown up in that atmosphere. But acting is my passion and I would rather be known as an actor than a star. That is also a reason why I am dabbling in the World Wide Web.

It definitely is a platform to greater success in films, but it is not limited to that. Even established actors on the silver screen such as Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Saif Ali Khan have come to this platform because they recognise the potential here. Similarly, I want to enter the game while it is still booming and not miss out on these audiences,” concludes Rakendu.