Out of the prestigious Akkineni family clan, Sumanth occupies a special place with his versatile role choices and interesting films. After a gap, he is back with a challenging subject Naruda DONORuda which is all set to release this Friday. Here is an iQlik exclusive chitchat with the actor:
Hello Sumanth.. how are you doing?
Hi.. I am doing good!
How did Naruda DONORuda shape up all of a sudden?
I saw the original film Vicky Donor back in 2012 and felt that such concept-oriented films should be done in Telugu. I also searched for similar subjects and waited for any director to narrate the same but none of them could succeed. In the mean time, I heard that few people are coming forward to do the remake. So, I dropped the idea of remaking this film. But later I realized that nobody took the remake rights and I immediately called John Abraham who happens to be a good friend of mine. He was very happy to know that Vicky Donor would be remade in a prestigious banner like Annapurna Studios and gave the rights for a lesser price.
Don’t you think the subject is too bold for Telugu audience?
Not at all. The attitude of Telugu audience has changed now and they are liking interesting subjects. I'm not at all worried about it.
Does this version focus on the serious point or on comedy element?
The trailer might look more like a comedy but most of my films are high on emotional quotient. This film is also of no exception to it. A great message is given in the movie and I would be glad if it reaches the audience.
Your earlier remake attempts Gauri and Classmates failed at the box-office. Do you believe in remake jinx now?
Both those films were good experiments but unfortunately didn’t work at the box-office. But in spite of it, if a movie’s story is good I wouldn’t hesitate for remaking it.
Why were you away from movies and filmdom for long time?
I was hearing stories consistently but most of them were formulaic with an intro song, fight and a love story. I felt that it was better to be idle than do such routine films.
How was it working with Naruda DONORuda team?
The entire team of this film is from Kshanam which was a great hit. They were coming up with fresh ideas and even I took special care in production after long time. Director Mallik Ram is very talented and I knew him since Golkonda High School days. I felt that he would do complete justice for such challenging subject. I am very happy with the production work this time and with just the trailer , people are congratulating me on the film. Nevertheless, we need to wait till the release date!
During the audio release, Nagarjuna said that he wanted to do such film like Naruda DONORuda. Your comment?
Nagarjuna has an image for his films and it would have been great if he got this film few years ago. He was always in the forefront to encourage new stories and new talents to the industry.
Any dream roles as such?
I always had a thing for doing negative roles. Ravana is my favourite character and I am willing to do it in near future. My grandfather ANR garu always said that my Telugu diction is good and I took it as a great compliment. I am willing to do negative roles but they should be penned well.
Naruda DONORuda seems to have kids presence. Do you like kids in real life?
I always see reel and real life to be different. During the film I enjoyed with kids but in reality I am not much keen.
What about your marriage plans?
I don’t want to focus on marriage life as of now. I am having a pet dog now and I am quite happy with my life.
Final thoughts on Naruda DONORuda?
I am very confident on the film’s output and am sure that it would change my career graph once for all. I hope the audience would enjoy it as much as we did working for it.
Okay..thanks and wish you the best for the film!
Thank you!
