It was ANR’s idea to remake Vicky Donor

After a hiatus of two years, Sumanth (Nagarjuna Akkineni's nephew) is back in action. The actor is starring in the Telugu version ‘Naruda Donaruda’ (a remake of Bollywood's critically acclaimed film ‘Vicky Donor’), which will open in cinemas this Friday. He spoke at length about the project.

“My granddad (ANR) and I were watching ‘Vicky Donor’ on TV and we were enjoying. He said that it’ll be nice if we could remake in Telugu. Since then I have been looking for such scripts but I couldn’t get it, so I decided to remake it,” recalls Sumanth giving a back-story on how the project happened.

The ‘Satyam’ actor admits that initially he had a few apprehensions to star in the Telugu version. “Yes, I a bit anxious about whether our audience will accept such a concept (on sperm donation). Later, I felt that such a sensitive subject can be told in a convincing way only in a lighter vain,” he explains, adding, “I believed if someone like Tanikella Bharani could reprise Annu Kapoor’s role, it’ll be authentic and credible. It’s a crucial role and Annu even got a National Award. I’m glad that Bharani garu accepted it. I am done with working on run of the mill scripts, and want to do unique films and roles including playing a baddie.”

The Telugu version was helmed by debutant Mallik Ram, in whom the actor exudes confidence. “I saw his short film and could see a spark in the way he made it. He even worked for ‘Golconda High School’ and his sensibilities match that of mine. I was very impressed with the way he worked and shaped up the script. I’m convinced he could pull it off and he has done a wonderful job. We have tweaked the story and has handled the sperm donation concept in a very different way to appeal to the Telugu audience.”

Justifying the title ‘Naruda Donoruda’, Sumanth says, “Since the film is about a sperm donor, I was particular and have been looking for a word Donoru word in Telugu, hence we titled so. When I shared it with Rajamouli and his family at a private gathering, they laughed off. That gave me the confidence and I stuck to it,” he reasons.

The Tollywood was left in splits ever since the quirky first poster and the trailer was released. His friends in the industry have been satirically appreciating apparently. “I was overwhelmed with the response, and now all of a sudden, there’s a bit of pressure on us to deliver. Generally, the trailer doesn’t live up to the expectations but I am confident that it will strike a chord with the audience,” Sumanth puts in, adding, “His friends in the industry including Mahesh Babu, Nani, Rana, Chai, etc., have enjoyed the trailer and sending him congratulatory messages.”On a concluding note, Sumanth adds that in real life too he doesn’t have kids, which is one of the reasons why he could connect to the story idea. “The film is not preachy. Since I have seen the agony of couples who don’t have kids, the film comes as a refreshing take and will only make them feel better and not embarrassed.”