PremiumAthidhi actor Venu Thottempudi: I’m glad audiences want to watch me again | Exclusive
The Chirunavvutho actor holds forth on his OTT debut with Disney+ Hotstar’s show Athidhi
Last Updated: 05.47 PM, Sep 20, 2023
Venu Thottempudi intentionally distanced himself from the limelight for nearly a decade to devote time for his personal commitments. Even as he donned the grease paint again for Ramarao On Duty last year and his OTT debut Athidhi (on Disney+ Hotstar), the Chirunavvutho actor is detached from the happenings in the tinsel town and isn’t taking the ‘comeback’ word all too seriously.
“It wasn’t my intention to return with Ramarao On Duty, it was more of an obligation for friends and I couldn’t say no to it. However, I took up Athidhi quite consciously. When a young director - YG Bharath - comes to you claiming that I was the only choice for the role, you’re naturally humbled. I really liked Athidhi as a story, how it was packaged with many elements,” he shares.
He came on board for Athidhi via its executive producer Rajesh, who asked him to listen to Bharath’s script. While the director visualised it as a film first, Hotstar suggested he tweak it into the episodic format. The Swayamvaram actor says it would be wrong to call Athidhi a horror show, considers it a drama that can be watched by all audiences.
“While there are horror elements, they’re not meant to scare the daylights out of you. Also, I was particular that the show is devoid of vulgarity needs to be watched by families together. I am a family man, a husband and a father of kids and I consider myself responsible.”
“People at homes are watching shows privately in their rooms, I didn’t want that to happen with Athidhi. It’s the family audiences who’ve always patronised my films in the 2000s too,” he recollects. His wife and daughter are currently in the UK and haven’t watched Athidhi yet. He says his school-going son too isn’t in any hurry to catch it. “They somehow never had this desire to watch me on the big screen or watch me act,” he admits with a grin.
He faced one major challenge with the role - Ravi, the novelist, in the show is aware of everything about the haunted mansion but needs to act innocent. “I had to be cautious of not revealing the twists through by performance. It was quite difficult.” There are several layers and twists in his characterisation, but the show guards the mysteries with a taut screenplay.
Venu had shot in the mansion-set for a majority of the shoot. “I must have been frustrated shooting at the same location for a long time (I completed the project quite a while ago). However, I was so occupied with the director’s instructions and I couldn’t think about it much.” He has another project lining up for a release, a film directed by a debutant Surya, produced by Chai Bisket Films, the makers of Writer Padmabhushan.
“I play a blind abd a dynamic cop in the film and I think they’ve presented me well. I am kicked about it.” He’s in no rush to sign new films. Given a chance, Venu shares he wouldn’t mind doing a sequel to Chirunavvutho or a Pellam Oorelthe. “I still don’t think I’ve a milestone film in my career but I’m thankful audiences still want to watch me,” he signs off.