Sai Dharam Tej: Karthik Dandu’s narration of Virupaksha was on par with Harish Shankar, Anil Ravipudi

Sai Dharam Tej’s mystical thriller Virupaksha is the only major release this weekend. With none of the Telugu films striking a chord with audiences this April, the actor would hope for his thriller to spring some hope at the ticket window. The ‘Supreme hero’ shared his experiences on working for the Karthik Dandu directorial in a media interaction.

“I’ve aged, hopefully matured, want to live, let live and make my audiences happy. We’re not expecting our film to rewrite records, we want it to perform as per our expectations. Virupaksha is set in the 80s-90s era and revolves around a series of mysterious deaths in a village. Is this owing to black magic? Who’s the mastermind behind it? The film battles an enemy that has no form,” he said.

He shared his excitement about taking up a new genre. “For an actor, every film feels like a debut and they work equally hard for every film. Many weren’t sure if I would be able to bounce back to work after the accident, but my family was immensely supportive. I wasn’t even able to speak well and my mom helped me get over it. They took care of me like a child, even if I was 36.”

Chiranjeevi reportedly lyrics of the popular Sirivennela song ‘Eppudu oppukovaddura Otami..’ when he was down and out and that has become his motto for life. “There will be challenges in life but you need to move on and not let your difficulties weigh you down.”

“The unit was a source of strength. When the workshops were held, I wasn’t in the pink of my health but the team adapted accordingly. I’ll always be grateful to my producers. When my life was filled with questions, they stood by me.” The director’s understanding of nuances and references specific to the early 90s bettered his understanding of interpersonal relationships of the era.

“I’m happy that the film is going beyond Telugu. At present, we’re focusing on the Telugu release alone and the other versions will release shortly. The film is a blend of romance, emotions and thrills. Sukumar’s screenplay has worked superbly. Karthik narrated the story in 2019 and I was thoroughly impressed. It was the finest narration I’d heard in a while, on par with Harish Shankar, Anil Ravipudi and Maruthi.”

Ajaneesh came on board after Vikranth Rona and he’s honest in admitting that the film doesn’t have immense scope for music. “It’s a Sherlock Holmes-style mystery with a new character arriving every 15 minutes. We didn’t want to bore audiences with the songs. My sole aim is only to be a part of good cinema and enact well-written characters. I don’t take my mass image seriously.”

Virupaksha will have its own audience base and connect with crowds, he feels. “I was equally happy to have a co-star like Samyuktha. She always does justice to her characters and is a great thinker. I was always an aware actor in her presence, it was challenging. I made notes for my character, more so because it was a period film.”