My career in Telugu cinema will change post 'Sarrainodu', says Aadhi

He comes from a family that is into the film industry. Aadhi candidly admits he didn’t think of becoming an actor but today he has been applauded for his talent and roles. In the recently released Sarrainodu, Aadhi (Pinisetty) dazzled the audience in the negative role of Vairam Dhanush. In this chat with dna, he talks about negative roles, his career and more. 

Why did you choose to do the role of Vairam Dyanush?
They contacted me for the role and told me that it’s a very stylish, different type of villain and asked me to listen to the script. I heard the script from Boyapati Garu and he gave me a complete 3D animated narration. (Smiles) I thought the role is interesting. Our villains are usually typecast like they are proper baddies, into drugs, womanisers, and just kill people for anything and everything. I thought the way the character was designed was different from the usual ‘villain’. The character dies the way he is – in films usually the villain apologises for what he’s done or asks for forgiveness and so on. I thought this was a good role in a big film with a renowned production house. 

You’ve always played the hero.
But I’ve done negative roles. In Mirugam and Ayyanar I played roles with negative shades. I don’t have any restrictions as to what roles I will do or won’t do. If you see old Tamil and Telugu films, Rajini sir, Mohan Babu sir and Chiranjeevi sir have played villains. I think actors should be willing to do anything which is interesting for them. If you like the role and think you can pull it off with style, then you should do it. And that’s what I did with Vairam Dhanush. This isn’t going to affect my career at all. Everyone asked me when I signed the film how I could play the role of a villain when my film Malupu released recently and has done really well. End of the day when you play a hero’s role and the movie is a superhit, people will forget it soon. That’s the truth. Now, after seeing Sarrainodu everyone is convinced that I did good, powerful role. It’s all about how you convince people on screen. Tomorrow, if I do another role where I’m convincing on screen then they’ll forget about what I’ve done before. Maybe I’m wrong but that’s what I think. 

Post Sarrainodu, people seem to have really noticed Aadhi the actor as compared to your earlier films. 
Not on this scale, yes. I did have a similar response to Mirugam as well. If you take Sarrainodu, 50% of Telugu-speaking people around the world will watch this film. Imagine the reach that I’m getting through this film. It’ll surely help my other upcoming films in Telugu. I need exposure in the Telugu states because people know me in Tamil Nadu. Though my films did well in Telugu, people don’t recognise me well but this will change post Sarrainodu. I knew the reach the combination of Boyapati and Allu Arjun would have before I signed the film. If my role was clichéd I wouldn’t have done the film. But because I have these advantages and it was a big production house and good team, I said yes.

People have loved you in the film. Does this mean you’ll do more negative roles?
100% no.

Why?
After Mirugam, I sat idle for almost a year. I turned down about nine projects because it was close to my role in Mirugam. I don’t want to do something I’ve done immediately. Maybe after a while. The next villain role I do has to be much more than what I’ve done now. People will expect more from me and I have to live upto those expectations. I’ve signed three films and these would take around one and a half years. Even if I do a villain role, it’ll be after this. And only if the role is interesting. In fact, as soon as I signed Sarrainodu I got a call from a company to play another villain role. But the name of the production company and the team made me reject the project! It was a very big project but I don’t want to be used as muscle in a film. 

Are you happy with your career graph so far?
I’m really happy with where I am today but where I have to be is there in my mind and I’m working towards it. Yes, I’m not where I’m supposed to be but I’m confident that I’ll get there soon. The audience and critics have felt that I’ve given my best for every movie that I’ve done. What else do I need as an actor? That’s what gives me happiness. I’m financially strong so it’s not about money for me. 

You’ve proved you can be a successful hero and now a villain. Does it put more pressure on you as far as scripts go? 
Honestly, I don’t go through pressure. Whatever I do, the quality of the film should be better than what I’ve done before. There’s no pressure on me to do a better or bigger film than Sarrainodu. It doesn’t work that way for me. Whatever I do next should have the right producer, team, be marketed well, etc. The film should reach more people thanks to the success I got with Sarrainodu. 

You’ve done more Tamil films than Telugu.
We are based in Chennai so I guess that’s why. The Tamil audience is very deep and rooted as compared to the Telugu audience. I’m not saying that’s a good thing or bad thing but it’s something I can connect to. I’m strong in doing something that is connected to my heart so I feel the Tamil audience can connect with me better. Films like Mirugam, Aravaan and Eeram are not being made much in Telugu cinema. I want to try films which are new and different. Such Tamil films which are dubbed into Telugu do really well. The films that I am going to be doing now are more universal. I want to do films that I can showcase to both the Tamil and Telugu audience. 

What’s next for you?
I’m doing a treasure hunt type of Tamil-Telugu film which is different. The team for this film is good and we have a nice producer on board. It’s got a lot of humour and will be a quick film. Another project, which is also a Tamil-Telugu film, I have is a sports film with realistic action. The concept behind the film is huge and it’s based on a real-life incident in New York. The third film I have is a Tamil film which is the remake of Venkatadri Express.