23 December 2019
Hyderabad

Just as the rest of us are busy wrapping up the year, Sri Simha, debut hero of Mathu Vadalara, is gearing up to kick start his career in Tollywood. The younger son of famous music director Keeravaani, he has no qualms about answering the tough questions. It looks like the man has earned his spot; read on to find out more.

Tell us something about Mathu Vadalara.
It’s about a character that is wrongly framed for something he didn’t do. The plot point is that he’s stuck in a tricky situation and he’s trying to get out of it. It’s an entertaining thriller with dark humour and the type of film that the full family can watch and enjoy together.

There’s talk about your character having hypersomnia. Is that something that’s dealt with in the film?
The character sleeps a lot but it’s not shown like a clinical disorder. The movie is not about that really. It just shows how a person like that deals with being framed.

What did you like most about your character?
This character is a quite innocent so I liked that. He comes from a village and works in the city so that innocence and his ignorance about the workings of the world are endearing.

Since your whole team was new, would you say it made the journey easier or tougher?
It made it easier because everyone was new so we supported each other. We could openly discuss and tell each other our concerns etc. And we all had that persistent enthusiasm.

The film looks to be story oriented and not a typical commercial drama. Did you particularly look for this genre for your debut?
I didn’t think of any particular way to debut. I don’t believe there’s one right way to debut. If the story is good then there is good scope to act. That’s the most important aspect. I don’t think songs and fights are compulsory. And the audience these days are enjoying all types of films so I’m happy to be debuting with this.

Have you always wanted to act?
That was one of my main interests from my childhood but I wasn’t totally sure. Later it developed into my calling.

Would you say it was easier for you to get your debut because of your lineage?
It was easy to learn about the film industry and the work because I had that influence. A lot of my family work in the film industry so the experience was priceless. But the role in Mathu Vadalara wasn’t handed to me. We had to do auditions, workshops and also a demo for the producer before the project got confirmed.

Do many people ask you the above question since you are Keeravaani sir’s son?
Not much but sometimes.

Do you have any feelings towards it?
It’s fine to ask me that because it might be a genuine doubt that people have about why I got the film. Even if I was an outsider I might think so.

Why did you not gravitate towards a career in music?
Since I was young I didn’t have any interest in music nor did I learn it so it was never a professional option for me.

Did you have any training prior to this film?
I did my BCom in Advertising. After that I worked as an Assistant Director for Rangasthalam. Then I trained in acting for 4-5 months before I got this film.

What type of roles do you want to do in the future?
I don’t have any particular role preferences. I’m open to everything and I also want people to look at me as someone who can do anything.

- Maya Nelluri