‘I did not even audition Ashok’
…says filmmaker Sriram Adittya about the protagonist of his new film, Hero
After the success of Devdas (2018) starring Nagarjuna and Nani, everyone was waiting to see what director Sriram Adittya’s next film would be. And the filmmaker has sprung a surprise by launching actor Ashok Galla, nephew of superstar Mahesh Babu.
We ask him why Ashok, and he tells us that he had the script of the film, titled Hero, for a long time and felt the actor was tailor-made for the part.
“Hero is a film about a guy who wants to become a film hero. He meets unexpected situations in life and the story will tell you whether he achieves his goal or not. I needed a fresh face to make the script convincing and I thought Ashok would be perfect for it,” says Sriram. “I was hooked to his smile when I first met him; I did not even audition him, and straightaway felt that had I got my protagonist,” the director says.
While there are already several films along the same lines, he feels the unique narrative and interesting screenplay will make his movie stand apart. “I feel glad and honoured that Ashok Galla’s parents trusted me and I was given the job of launching him,” Sriram says. “I worked on his character design and minute details about how his body language
should reflect the character he’s playing,” says the director, adding that Ashok was open to learning everything. Workshops and training sessions were held before taking the film on the floors.
“Shooting during Covid-19 was challenging, and striking a balance between the lead pair while writing was difficult,” he shares, but feels sure that the audience will empathise with Ashok’s character and travel with him. Asked whether Ashok has any resemblance to his uncle Mahesh Babu, the director says, “Definitely. You can see it from certain angles, especially when Ashok is running.” —
A LOT OF PEOPLE ASKED ME WHY I AM DOING A FILM WITH A NEWCOMER AFTER THE SUCCESS OF DEVADAS. BUT A SCRIPT THAT EXCITES ME IS IMPORTANT TO ME, AND THAT’S WHY I TOOK UP THIS PROJECT
— SRIRAM ADITTYA, DIRECTOR