‘I am not single. However, I am far away from marriage’
Actor Adivi Sesh talks exclusively with DC about his upcoming film, Major, passions and love life
Actor, director and producer rolled into one, Adivi Sesh Sunny Chandra, possibly considered ‘an outsider’ in the film industry, made his acting and directorial debut in 2010 with the supernatural thriller Karma. Among his successes in the box office after establishing himself as a lead actor include Panjaa (2011), Ladies & Gentlemen (2015), Baahubali: The Beginning (2015), Dongaata (2015), Kshanam (2016), Ami Thumi (2017), Goodachari (2018) and Evaru (2019).
Talking to us on the telephone from California, Adivi opens up about his ambitions and passions in the industry, his upcoming Tamil–Telugu–Hindi venture, his relationships and why he’s never been linked with his heroines.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q Your upcoming film Major is the biopic of the late Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan. How much cinematic liberty have you taken? We’ve tried to capture 31 years of his life in a two-hour film, with the goal of telling a story that captures the late Major Sandeep’s spirit in every frame. So there are some cinematic liberties we’ve taken, but we’ve tried to keep it true to him.
Q Do you hope for an open-arm reception in Bollywood?
Let’s hope so. I feel the differences come to light largely because of movie folks and the trade difference. And probably because I grew up in the States, I see it all as filmmaking only, for in my head, on the contrary, Amitabh Bachchan is as legendary as is Rajinikanth.
I don’t think we should differentiate whether making a film for California or New York just as we should not whether it is a Hindi, Bhojpuri, Telugu, Tamil or Malayalam film.
Q Do you hope to dominate the Bollywood horizon?
I believe there’s no such concept. Also, there are actors like Ayushmann Khurrana whom I really look up to. At the end of the day, I only look towards doing great work.
Also, for every Shah Rukh Khan, there’s an Amitabh Bachchan, who, in turn, has a Rajnikant and Chiranjeevi, etc. So you leave your mark, work hard and don’t look at competing with others.
Q Despite the industry, you haven’t yet been involved with any actresses and neither are there any link-up stories. How do you manage that? When I am at work, my focus is on showcasing my character in the best possible way. I don’t have the mind space to go and chill out or catch up with someone or to think, “Oh! That girl likes me!”
It’s not about being a good or bad person — it’s only that I don’t have the mind space to chill with someone I work with.
“WHEN I AM AT WORK, MY FOCUS IS ON SHOWCASING MY
CHARACTER IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY. I DON’T HAVE THE MIND SPACE TO CHILL WITH SOMEONE I WORK
WITH.”
I DON’T WANT TO DISCUSS IT (HIS RELATIONSHIP) IN PUBLIC YET — I’LL HAVE TO TAKE HER PERMISSION BEFORE REVEALING ANYTHING. THAT BEING SAID, I AM NOT SINGLE (AND SHE’S FROM HYDERABAD) BUT I’M FAR FROM GETTING MARRIED RIGHT NOW.
Q Would you like to state your current relationship status?
I don’t want to discuss it in public yet — I’ll have to take her permission before revealing anything. That being said, I am not single (and she’s from Hyderabad) but I’m far from getting married because right now I honestly don’t even have time to sleep because I am putting in a lot of time into Major. Then, are three other films waiting — Hit 2, which has been announced, and Goodachari 2. Additionally, there’s one more I have to work on. And everything is stalled because of the pandemic.
Q What’s your take on relationships nowadays? I believe all relationships are selfish because your heart is in it only if you get something out of it. No one is here for anyone but for oneself; we forget about giving and always expect something in exchange. That being said, I believe you must involve yourself in the relationship you’re in, and do all it takes to make the other person happy.
Q How does it feel to be tagged as a lucky charm for makers? (Laughs) I believe in working hard until you are the reason for audiences to watch the film. Success will then follow. The day you stop working hard is when you start turning unlucky.
Q After your 2016-film Kshanam, we heard you rejected a couple of scripts. Why? Yes, I did. I need to find a script that I find engaging as an audience. I’ll do my best for the character I play only if I have my heart in it.
Q Was Major simultaneously shot, in all languages it is being made in?
Yes. Several things have been written keeping in mind the sensibilities of the Indian audience. And we’ve looked at several scenes from the context of people from different regions like, say, Kanpur or Delhi and Hyderabad and Vijayawada, understanding the nuances.
Q How comfortable are you with Hindi? I think you should tell me that after watching the movie. [Smiles] I grew up in San Francisco back when there weren’t many Telugu people. I mostly had Punjabi- and Gujarati-speaking people around me, which also influenced the short films I made in my high school days. I spoke in Telugu with my parents and in
“THERE ARE ACTORS LIKE AYUSHMANN KHURRANA WHOM I REALLY LOOK UP TO. ALSO, FOR EVERY SHAH RUKH KHAN, THERE’S AN AMITABH BACHCHAN, WHO, IN TURN, HAS A RAJNIKANT AND CHIRANJEEVI, ETC. SO YOU LEAVE YOUR MARK, WORK HARD AND DON’T LOOK AT COMPETING WITH OTHERS.”
Hindi when I was acting.
Q Was it difficult for you to render Telugu dialogues? It was. I’m a Telugu by birth, but I did not speak Telugu for the first few years of my life and learned it as a second language. In my head, it took a long time for me to transition to acting in Telugu. I did find it pretty interesting, however, to act in a language I learned later rather than the language I’d already learnt.
Q Acting, directing or producing: which are you more comfortable doing? Acting has been a true passion, which I discovered while studying in the film school in San Francisco. And though filmmaking was something I found truly interesting, I don’t think I’ve been a good director. I do feel I have a good sense of production and how to maximise the value of a rupee to get the right quality on screen, so I do have a good sense about being a producer. However, most of these skills I bettered over time through my acting career.
Q Do you find it difficult to act, produce and direct simultaneously?
It’s been nine years since I did that last. However, in this film, Major, I am acting and writing but I am not involved in direction and production.
Q Do you think acting and storytelling become easy when you write?
It surely helps, but the key is to not repeat oneself. The goal is to find a varied graph of characters. Obviously, you work with the outside writers to find a fresh perspective.