1 Nune 2023
Hyderabad
With his last film, Masooda, ending up as a profitable venture, actor Thiruveer would look to carry forward the momentum with his next, Pareshan, which is making all the right noise in the run up to the release, courtesy its impressive trailer. In an exclusive conversation with idelbrain.com, the young and self-made actor discusses the success of Masooda, the reactions to the trailer of Pareshan, how did he end up doing the film, his acting process, experience of shooting in Mancherial, why can’t he flash a plastic smile, Rana Daggubati’s involvement with the film and his line-up
Your last release, Masooda, made good moolah at the box office. It was also your first solo theatrical release. The success must’ve been a big boost to your career?
It was ok, ok. The success didn’t help me much. I’ve shot Pareshan before Masooda but it's releasing now. I was approached for lead and supporting roles before Masooda and I’m being approached now as well. So, I don’t see a big change.
The trailer of Pareshan received a thumbs up from the viewers. What kind of reactions have you got?
Generally trailers are shown for memers so that they can post content on their pages in order to generate buzz but we haven’t sought their help. The trailer generated a flood of reels and memes on its own. For every five reels, there is one reel dedicated to Pareshan’s dialogues. The reach has been immense. If the trailer has elicited reactions to this kind, imagine what the whole film can do? The memers are certain to get a truckload of content. It’s a big thing for a small film to get appreciation at this level. From the industry, I rang Bobby garu on Wednesday and he said the trailer was good. So did Naveen Chandra. Navadeep and Venu Udugula shared the trailers on their social media pages. Adivi Sesh said that he hasn’t laughed this hard while watching a trailer in a long time, on Twitter.
The relatability factor of the trailer is very high…
Squabbles among friends are common. A son getting a dressing down from his parents is common. The girlfriend nagging you is common. Yes, the film has elements which everybody can relate to. When we screened it recently in Vijayawada, to our surprise, audiences were telling each other, ‘Hey, that’s you. He is talking like you.’ They could connect to the film on a personal level and enjoy it.
How did you land in Pareshan?
Except for the name Rupak Ronaldson, I didn’t know who he was. Bunny, who played Pasha in the film, asked me to audition for the role, saying that I was appropriate for the part as the film is in Telangana dialect. I went to meet Rupak only after Bunny mentioned the project more than a couple of times. By then, George Reddy had released, while Palasa 1978 was having screenings. Rupak asked me to audition for the role. He gave me four scenes. I couldn’t control my laugh reading them. I gave the audition. Two days later, Rupak said, ‘You are the right fit for my character. I’m selecting you’. Those four scenes– the proposal scene where my role asks his girlfriend whether she will eat Samosa, dancing in a baraat and wooing the girl and him being chided by father–I thought were written well. I felt it was a rooted story which mirrored daily life. I decided to do it. I read the full script after joining the shoot.
What can you share about your character and the film?
Rupak comes from Mancherial. His father and friends work in Singareni. He wrote the story from what he saw and created an imaginary world with real-life characters. The film is an out-and-out entertainer without being preachy. He mirrored what he saw. I play Issac who is a mix of innocence, foolishness and good nature. The traits land him in problems at times and at times generate humour. He suffers because of his friends. In the film, every character has a pareshan (worry), while it primarily revolves around the worries of Issac.
You come from a theatre background. Is there a process you follow when it comes to approaching your roles?
To begin with I take a lot of input from the director on the character’s age, body language, why he behaves in a particular way and the reason behind his particular dialogue and the subtext behind it. Later, I do a little homework and then show the director the kind of approach I was looking at. If he is ok with it, I will go ahead. If he demands certain changes here and there, I would take his inputs again and refine my approach.
How difficult was it to get the dialect of Mancherial right?
It was easy. I come from Mahaboobnagar. Mancherial people call Acchillu (they came), we say Vacchirru. When we were shooting, the director would say, ‘Babu we won’t pronounce that way in our village’. I used to correct myself there. When it came to dubbing, I was particular that Rupak was with me and I pronounced the dialogue in pucca Mancherial accent.
What did you like the most about Rupak?
The way he talks is different. If he says hai casually, it would induce laughter. His sarcasm and sense of humour are at a different level. As a director, he shot the film after the COVID-19 first wave and there were a lot of restrictions. Yet he managed to get what he wants location-wise and equipment-wise. He is a fighter.
Could you describe to us your experience of shooting in Mancherial?
I never knew Mancherial and its surrounding areas were so beautiful until I shot there. It was my first time shooting and exploring the place. The hills, greenery, waterfalls, ponds, big trees… It was a thrilling experience. I was like, ‘Does Telangana have such beautiful locations?’ Secondly, the people there know to work hard and later relax. They are stubborn people but good ones at it. We went there during COVID-19 time but they obliged our requests by providing us houses for rent and vehicles for transport. They didn’t know us but they treated us like their relatives. That was the greatness of Mancherial.
It’s still early days for you as an actor but when you get so involved with a character like you did for Pareshan, are there days when you feel you should have preferred some other profession?
It’s been there since day one. I come from a rural background, so I don’t know stress management or flashing a plastic smile. I can’t mingle or hangout easily with people even if I try to learn. To adjust is an everyday fight but I don’t want to do a job. I have my reasons for why acting is exciting for me. I like travelling and leading a challenging life every day. I also like to meet new people and acting facilitates that. I need this profession but to handle the stress that comes out is tough for me. I can’t take criticism easily. From childhood, I’ve never tolerated if someone had negative or bad things to say about me. I’ve grown up with such an attitude. And industry is a place where not everyone is liked. Negative comments are quite common here but I’ve been unable to handle them and remain calm. A single negative comment generates a lot of stress for me.
What are you doing to overcome this struggle of yours?
Whether it’s visiting mountains, seas or unknown places… I travel a lot to relieve stress. I’m also doing a lot of meditation and gym activity. I like to listen to music and spend time with my friends. I’m in close contact with my friends from X, intermediate and graduation; they don’t judge me.
Pareshan was wrapped up two years back. What took you so long to release it?
Rupak’s initial rough cut ran into five hours. He took almost eight months to trim it down to two hours and 30 minutes. Also, he didn’t want to compromise on background music and music. He was keen on a different sound. Additionally, he wanted to improve the lyrics further. It took almost a year. In total, he took 20 months for editing and music. After watching the film, you’ll understand why he took so much time. Songs and background music breathed life into the film.
What does Rana Daggubati’s involvement with the film as a presenter mean to you?
Ever since he agreed to present the movie, he promoted it like the way he promoted his own releases. He accompanied us to Village Adda, Suma Adda and Star Sports etc. When someone put the camera on him, he would politely ask them to focus on me and other members of the cast, saying it’s their film and that they should be highlighted. They should be known to people, not me, he would add. We are proud of what he had done for the film. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t believe the film would've been released now.
What else have you got lined up?
I have signed three films up next– a thriller, a socio-fantasy entertainer and a period drama. I have two independent movies and one web series lined up for release in the next three months.
-NAGARAJ GOUD
