Kalyan Anna Interview New

[Alapati's]

Nandamuri Kalyan Ram is basking in the success of ‘Patas’. The movie gave Kalyan Ram a big commercial success after a span of almost a decade. The soft spoken actor likes to keep his personal life out of the public gaze and he also comes across as very level headed. In this exclusive interview, he talks about what he learnt through his failures, his opinion on 3D films and his plans for the VFX Company Advitha.

Kalyan Ram also had a few things to say about the rumours surrounding his family. Check out the transcript of this conversation to get an insight into the mind of this well read and intelligent actor.

RD : Is success sweet?

NKR : It is! I would be lying if I said otherwise. We tend to feel good when people appreciate our efforts and when hard-work is rewarded. I am enjoying this success and I am extremely grateful to all my fans, Telugu cinema lovers, the media and the Telugu Film Industry for supporting me and giving me this success.

RD : How do you deal with ups and downs? You have had your share of disappointments.

NKR: In the last ten years, I saw hits like ‘Athanokkade’ and ‘Patas’. I saw decent films like ‘Hare Ram’. I also saw disasters. But one thing common to all of them is the sincerity with which I approached the project and hard work I put in for all of them. I also never lost hope because I had confidence in myself. I had the support of friends and family.

When ‘Kathi’ released, the feedback I got was surprising. “We did not expect this kind of a film from you sir” is what I heard. After listening to fans, I came to a conclusion that people want to see me in the role of an underdog, with a suspense element to the storyline. That is how ‘OM’ happened. But even that failed.

RD : OM’s failure must have hit you hard. What do you think went wrong?

NKR : Yes, OM was a big disappointment. The story of ‘OM’ was in line with what I wanted to do. To that, we wanted to add the element of 3D to enhance the visual experience for movie lovers. It added to the pain. When I spoke to fans, I realised that the storyline was too complex and that entertainment was missing in the film.

RD : Looking back, do you regret taking the 3D route?

NKR : Every technological advancement in the film industry was the result of someone’s decision to take a risk. Be it DTS or DI or Auro 3D. These were all costly experiments that did not make sense from a commercial angle before they became widely accepted. I wanted to do something similar with OM. I wanted to bring advanced 3D technology to Telugu cinema. At that time, the 3D wave was on. Films like ‘Avatar’ and ‘Spiderman’ received great patronage in 3D versions in India. So we decided to take that route.

But I have realised that 3D is not the way forward for us. Our infrastructure does not support it. If you go to a B or C center theater, people don’t really enjoy putting on an extra pair of glasses to watch a film. It distracts them. From a commercial perspective also, our budgets do not justify 3D. Post production is a pain and VFX is a nightmare. For example, we spent 2 whole months just for the DI of ‘OM’. If anyone asks me for advice about undertaking a 3D project, I would not recommend it.

RD : What was the best compliment you received after ‘Patas’ released?

NKR : People said that a new Kalyan Ram was born. They want me to continue like this (Smiles)

RD : Going for a remake of the superhit ‘Arey o Samba’ was a big gamble. How did you feel, stepping into Balakrishna’s shoes?

NKR : To be honest, I was very apprehensive. And when news of this song leaked out on social media, I saw many comments against it. Some people expressed apprehensions about me matching the energy levels of Balayya Babai in that song. I took these negative comments very constructively. “Kasi tho chesanu andi aa song”. Maybe, I wouldn’t have given that much effort had I not seen those comments. But the end result is fantastic. I saw fans going wild with delight in single screen theaters.

For Arey o Samba song’s dance, I put in special efforts. I have never danced like that before. “Oka two days full body pains andi” (Smiles)

RD : If you want to, you can work with the top directors in TFI. But throughout your career, you have preferred to work with new directors. Any specific reason?

NKR : I feel comfortable around newcomers. There is a certain fire in newcomers that is very different. They want to prove themselves and therefore, they will try their best to show me in a good way. I was a newcomer when I came in and everyone needs one opportunity to prove themselves. I would definitely love to work with big directors. I am on very good terms with almost everyone in the Industry.

RD : You are getting into movie production actively. What kind of films do you want to produce? Will you limit yourself to big budget films only?

NKR : No. There is no preference for big or small films. I will produce a variety of films on NTR Arts banner if I like the script. In fact, I am listening to an interesting small budget proposal now and I will produce it if things work out.

RD : What about producing a film with NTR?

NKR : (Smiles) It will happen this year. I will formally announce it after everything falls into place. I do not make announcements until everything is concrete. “Veedu ilage chepthadu ra ani janaalu anukotam naaku istam undadhu”. If I announce it after everything is confirmed, it will be nice.

RD : How do you react to rumours about personal life?

NKR : I choose not to react (Smiles). There is no point in reacting to these things. There will be nothing left in life if you react to everything.

RD : What about rumours surrounding your family? How do you react to reports about rifts?

NKR : Blood is thicker than water and I believe in this. Family is all about trust. About bonding. About experiences shared over the last 20 or 30 years. Can reports and rumours destroy all these things? There is no need to react to reports or to explain this to outsiders. I believe in myself and in my family. I go to any extent for my family. If I don’t protect my family, who will? I also like to keep my family affairs and my personal space private.

RD : People don’t know much about Kalyan Ram the person. What kind of a person are you in real life? What are your hobbies?

NKR : I am a very talkative person. In fact, I talk so much when I am with friends and family that I do not have anything left to say, when I come out (Laughs). I love being with friends and family. I also spend a lot of time on YouTube. I love to keep myself updated about the latest things happening around me.

RD : You have a VFX division. How is it shaping up?

NKR : It is doing some great work and I am glad about the way in which it is shaping up. In fact, I got a superb comment about the company for ‘Patas’. If you have seen the film, there is a sequence in the film where mothers stage a fight on Punjagutta Flyover. People did not believe me when I said that the whole thing was VFX. That was the best compliment my company received. We are doing some good projects. “Legend’ gave us a good name. We are now doing work for ‘Temper’ and ‘Kick 2′ also.

RD : Apart from ‘Sher’, what are your future projects? How is ‘Sher’ shaping up?

NKR : I do not like to talk much about my future projects (Smiles). Talkie part of ‘Sher’ is almost complete and it will also be an entertaining film. There will be a nice story and an interesting screenplay that viewers will enjoy.

RD : Are you having fun with the Patas Vijaya Yatra?

NKR : We have called it ‘ouaya Yatra’ but it is just a way of saying thank you to all my fans and well wishers. They have given me a big success after all these years.

Kalyan Ram also asked us about ‘Baahubali’ and wanted to find out what we were doing. “Baahubali is a project that every Telugu speaking person should be proud of. It is our Industry’s landmark project. I hope it becomes a big success”, he said. On that note, we ended our conversation with Kalyan Ram and wished him the very best for his upcoming projects.

[adithya369]

[roger7]

[nivas_hyd]

Special VFX division vundaa.. Great boss.. Good to see the passion towards technology..