‘I am not single. However, I am far away from marriage’
Actor Adivi Sesh talks exclusively with The Asian Age about his upcoming film, Major, passions and love life
“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.”
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:
QYour 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 Bhojpuri, Telugu, Malayalam film.
Q
Do you hope to Bollywood horizon?
it is a Hindi, Tamil or
dominate
the
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.
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.
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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.