Hyderabad
Ocober 26, 2006

After delivering his finest performance as Sriram in Godavari, Sumanth is coming as Chinnodu on 27 October. Idlebrain.com caught up with this lovely human being at his office in Annapurna studios for a quick chat. Here are the excerpts -

Why Chinnodu title for the film?
My character in this film is Chinna. My mother calls me Chinnodu. Though I was against keeping titles on my character’s name, we could not find any apt general title.

Kanmani made a sensible film called Naa Oopiri. Your last film was also a sensible Godavari. Why are you doing a mass film together?
Chinnodu is definitely a mass film. But it is not an overblown mass film. There are no too much of larger than life characters. There are no unbelievable scenes. Its made within certain parameters. I wanted to get back into this genre after Godavari film. At the same time I wanted to do a sensible mass movie. There are proper emotions and logics in the film. It is a cute love story of a tough guy with family thread undercurrent. My character in this film is little similar to that one in Satyam film. Chinnodu is a mass movie with sensibilities, emotions and feelings.

What do you think is the highlight of Chinnodu?
Climax will be the highlight. We tried the characterizations differently. The character of villain Rahul Dev has humanistic angle to him. It would be something similar to that of Nana Patekar in Parinda film. Another highlight of the film is the naturality regarding all characters.

What made you select Kanmani as the director?
His first film Naa Oopiri was a non-commercial film on artistic lines. I loved the way he handled the climax of the film. The script of this film is of a typical Vikraman style where simple misunderstandings leading the way. It is something in the lines of Satyam, but on a mass scale.

Chinnodu is releasing tomorrow. Are you tensed about it?
My sister (Supriya) is due with the baby tomorrow. My tension is all there. She just got admitted into the hospital. She is due on the same day of my movie release. I am not even worried about the movie now.

Tell us about Madhumasam film in Chandra Siddhardha direction?
Madhumasam is a sensitive love story. It is basically a story about a guy who is very practical, logical and sensible. Then there is a girl who always want to find love. Both these characters are completely opposite. It is little along the lines of Swayamvaram, Pavitra Bandham and my grandfather‘s Bharyabhartalu. In above mentioned three movies, the conflict is between married couple. In Madhumasam, the conflict is between unmarried couple. It is about relationships. The characters in this film are something relevant to today’s youth. We have not followed the novel of Balabhadrapatruni Ramani as it is. D Suresh Babu is also involved in the project. He asked for some changes. This movie is done under the supervision of both Suresh Babu and Rama Naidu mamayya.

We have lots of films based on English literature in Hollywood. But we don’t get many films made in Telugu based on Telugu literature. What do you think is the reason?
I am not the right person to comment on this issue as I don’t read books much be it in Telugu or English. But I think our writing levels in Telugu film industry are not growing as much as the other departments. The writing level did not move as proportionate to technology level. We still are making same kind of movies by sticking to the same formula. I think writing is the most important thing about filmmaking. In Hollywood writers get paid more than director (except for star directors).

Are you trying to encourage writing from your side?
I can’t do it alone. I am trying to do different films. My forthcoming project Classmates is written very differently. Screenplay is very different. They are trying to do things differently in Tamil and Malayalam. You have different thoughts molded into commercial lines in Tamil and Malayalam. But it is not happening here in Telugu that much. What I can do is to be part of films like Classmates. If I am part of such films like Godavari and Classmates, writers feel encouraged to narrate me different scripts.

You did Godavari with Sekhar Kammula. Your Chinnodu is directed by Kanmani. Your next two films are in the direction of Chandra Siddardha and Vijaya Bhaskar. You seem to be picking only class directors?
All of the big mass directors are tied up for the next two years. But it was not a conscious decision to work with class directors. If a good mass subject is on my way, I would definitely do it. But Chinnodu is a mass movie even though Kanmani directed it. Even Vijay Bhaskar is trying incorporate mass elements in terms of hero’s characterization in Classmates. Classmates is going to be probably my best mass film.

All the heroines you worked with say that you have terrific sense of humor. But you appear like a serious guy to the media?
I am an introvert. I open up with very few people. May be my sharp wit does not come across in the interviews.

Did you watch any films recently?
I am waiting for my home theater to get ready. The last film I watched was Lage Raho Munnabhai. I still have a major backlog of old movies. I was busy in the last three months.

When is Madhumasam releasing?
Suresh Production guys are planning for January 2007. Shooting is happening at a brisk pace.

When is Classmates starting?
I met producer Ravi Kishore and director Vijaya Bhaskar yesterday. Writing is going on at full swing. I think Classmates will roll on from December.

One last question! There are few rumors linking you up with Kamalinee Mukherjee and Anushka. Is there any truth in it?
It is easy to link me up because I am divorced now. Even I read those rumors. I just smile over it.

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