A humble man. A good human being. A talented performer. A complete family guy. These are some of the statements you hear when you ask people to describe Victory Venkatesh. The veteran actor turns 52 today. Born in Chennai on December 13th 1960 to Dr. D. Ramanaidu and Mrs. Rajeshwari, Venkatesh spent his childhood and teen years in Chennai. He made his debut in Telugu films as a hero with ‘Kaliyuga Pandavulu’ in 1986. On the occasion of his Birthday, Venkatesh spoke to media personnel and had some interesting things to say about his career, his upcoming projects and even about the so called doomsday scenario of December 21st 2012.
Q. You are working in one of the most eagerly awaited films of the year – SVSC, How is the experience working with Mahesh Babu?
A.. Mahesh Babu is a very talented performer and he gives his 100% to every scene on the sets. He checks his performance multiple times and makes sure that things go smoothly. It has been a pleasure working with him. Once the shoot is over, he turns very jovial and is good to hang out with. As for the film, the most common remark heard on the sets was “Meeru nijam ga ne anna thammulla laga unnaru” (You guys really are looking like brothers).
Q. You are looking radically different in Shadow. How did that movie turn out?
A. This is an action entertainer and my role required a new look. Meher Ramesh did a good job with the movie. There is a lot of action and nice drama in this movie and we shot in grand locations around the world. Shooting is going to be wrapped up soon.
Q. How did Srikanth convince you to act in SVSC?
A. The first thing we have to let go of is ‘image’. You cannot progress in life when you carry the baggage of your past with you. SVSC happened because I approached the film with an open mind. Srikanth is a clever director and he has clarity over what he wants to say and shoot. Its not easy to balance two star heroes in the same project, but he did that successfully.
Q. SVSC has been delayed quite a bit. What is the reason?
A. We have a lot of heroes in our industry. But we have a big shortage of good heroines and directors. As a result, it becomes tough for everyone to accommodate dates to shoot such a big project. It is no one’s fault. It is just a fault of heavy demand and short supply.
Q. Is your son Arjun gearing up for a film career?
A. Arjun is still very young. He is interested in films but he is also a very good student. At present, he is concentrating on his education. At an appropriate time, Arjun will decide whether to come in or not.
Q. People keep talking quite a bit about Dec 21st and the doomsday. What is your comment?
A. (laughs) Is that in our hands? I don’t care about such things. Living a good life and having a sound sleep are the only things that are in our control. Let us not worry too much about such things.
Q. Felt good to see you and Rana dance together in KVJ. When will you work with Rana again ?
A. I want to do a film with him but we are still looking out for a good story. We have listened to some concepts but nothing is finalized yet. Once everything comes together as expected, we will work together.
Q. What roles would you like to do in future?
A. I feel that I still have a lot left in me to offer to the industry as an actor. Take Sachin for example. People are calling for his retirement. But let him score one century and the very same folks will say Sachin needs to be in the team. It is the same with actors. You get a couple of flops and they write you off. But when you get one hit, and suddenly you are the toast of the town. I will go on as long as I feel I can do justice to my roles.
I will be working with hero Ram for the remake of Bol Bacchan. Vivekananda is my dream project and the script work for that has been completed. I have exciting things to look forward to.
Q. What is the secret of your health?
A. Yoga. Yoga can change your life completely and I tell this to all my friends and associates. A simple yogasana can bring so many unexpected benefits. Try it out.
With that, we winded up our chat with Venkatesh and wished him the very best for a long and happy life. We hope you enjoyed reading our interview folks.