PremiumExclusive! Rahul Ramakrishna opens up on NET, his upcoming Telugu OTT release on ZEE5
He justifies his promotional blitzkrieg on social media and says that his performance in NET is his best to date
Last Updated: 04.23 PM, Sep 08, 2021
Journo-turned-actor Rahul Ramakrishna is a man of many talents. While his acting debut was with Tharun Bhascker's short film Sainma, he wrote dialogues and lyrics for films like Jayammu Nischayammu Raa, Pelli Choopulu, before his splendid 'best friend' act as Shiva in Arjun Reddy made him the apple of everyone's eye. He was a scribe for two major publications before Arjun Reddy happened to him by chance. The best part about his role in Arjun Reddy being, the best friend role was no pushover or a sidekick; he had an arc of his own and showed the mirror to Arjun (Reddy) when he had to.
Rahul didn't have to look back later. Balancing between comedy and character roles ever since, Rahul has excelled as a performer in a wide variety of genres in several indie and mainstream films like Bharath Ane Nenu, Geetha Govindam, Hushaaru, Brochevarevarura and Kalki, which are a testimony to his versatility. In between, he also tried his hand at singing in Hushaaru and Guvva Gorinka. Having entered the digital space with brief appearances in Gangstars and Nirudyoga Natulu, Rahul's first major appearance in a Telugu OTT show is for NET, releasing this week on ZEE5.
The actor reveals he has been choosy about the OTT offer that has come his way. "I have been waiting for a good script all along and when I heard this story, I knew I couldn't let this pass by. I won't lie that I have been hopping on from one set to another over these years and it's also the issue of time," Rahul says. A look at his Twitter handle would confirm the confidence he has on the show, so much that in one of the tweets, he shared NET is the best bet among all the September 10 releases in Telugu (other releases being The Baker and the Beauty, while also sharing that he has massive respect for Nani (and his film Tuck Jagadish).
"This is easily the best performance in my career and probably the best project I've been a part of. I and the director (Bhargav Macharla) clicked very well as people. I would go to the extent of calling him a genius," Rahul justifies his promotional blitzkrieg on social media. NET is a cyber-thriller revolving around a bunch of characters who fall prey to the porn industry. The actor essays the role of Laxman, a Nalgonda-based mobile store owner, who watches porn for pleasure. He and the director went on long drives to discuss the backstory of the character - more so like a biography, from his childhood to the incidents in his life that shape his decision-making.
When Rahul doesn't act, he either reads books vigorously, discusses everyday affairs with his friends (or his followers on social media) or uses the time to catch some sleep. He keeps the journalist in him alive and is fiercely opinionated about issues that affect our immediate society - and he doesn't bother being politically correct too. While Rahul has high profile releases like Virata Parvam and Republic soon, we ask if he wishes to dabble with any other craft in the times to come, to which he replies, "I think I'm too lazy to direct or write. I would rather prefer to take up the work I get than trying anything new now."