Chiranjeevi on Acharya: I could see a lot of myself in Ram Charan on sets

There are very few actors who could match the spontaneity of a Chiranjeevi during their film promotions. Be it his passion for Telugu or his terrific sense of humour or his ability to look at the larger picture of every situation or question thrown in by the press, Chiranjeevi enjoys a charisma like no other on the stage. While promoting Acharya in Hyderabad at a media interaction, the 153-film-old star elaborated on working with his son as a co-actor.

"Ram Charan has been a keen observer of the way I look, behave, walk and talk all through his life and has digested what all he could by watching my films. Right from his first film till now, believe me, I haven't at all given him any kind of advice. When an artist learns and evolves by himself, there's a kind of originality that they will develop. Even though the process may take time, it's best that an actor learns about the craft through his own experience," he said.

"While working with Charan in Acharya, I could see a lot of myself in him, the way he talks to people, approaches his work with sincerity, his chivalry and even the way he eats food with the crew. In the age of caravans, it's indeed a big deal for a star to gel with everyone and enjoy a meal with the team. The bond always grows stronger when one eats together. We spent over 20 days in the cottage in Maredumilli," the Acharya star further added.

During the cottage stay, there were several interesting experiences for the duo. "Even when I wanted to be in the company of my wife Surekha, he didn't let her come to the location, to spend time observing me, learning from me He wasn't sure if he would get a chance to work with me as an actor anytime soon and treasured this time. The director has made sure he had given us two contrasting characters with different paths, who still desire the same result (the victory of Dharma). Even if we come together later, it'll probably be for a Koratala film," he shared.

About Ram Charan's acting skills and his evolution as a performer, Chiranjeevi stated, "As an actor, in one emotional scene, in particular, all I had to do was to react when he was there in front of me. Your performance always gets better when you act alongside a capable artiste. He has performed like a mature artiste in Acharya. If at all he wasn't in a position to do the film, Pawan Kalyan would've been the best bet to play Siddha. However, Charan didn't give us that chance."

On shaking a leg with his son in the presence of his wife during the song shoot of Bhale Bhale Banjara, he was at his humourous best as he mentioned, "I was like Shruti Haasan in Race Gurram, keeping all the pressure and anxiety to myself. We had shot the song only a few days after he finished Naatu Naatu and I was conscious about matching up to Ram Charan. Shekhar master was all enthusiastic to compose difficult moves and I wasn't sure if I could pull it off."