If Telugu is my mother tongue, Kannada is my life language: Made in Bengaluru actor Sai Kumar

Veteran actor Sai Kumar is among the select few actors who have found success across multiple film industries. Known for his inimitable voice and authoritative screen presence, he gained immense popularity among the Kannada audience for his stint as the super cop Agni, a character that went on to achieve cult status among cinema lovers over the years. During the course of his 50-year career, Sai Kumar has juggled with great finesse between Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada industries, successfully finding a niche in each region. 

The RangiTaranga actor was recently in Bengaluru to promote his upcoming Kannada gig Made in Bengaluru and during an intimate interaction with the local media, he mused about the city and the language of Kannada. 

"This is an emotional evening for me because just the like the film I'm here to promote, I too feel that I am Made in Bengaluru - and so are my brother Ravi and Ayyappa. I was born into the world of cinema - my mother, who is from Bagepalli in Karnataka, has acted alongside Dr. Rajkumar, Kalyan Kumar, Bhagawan, B. Saroja Devi, and many other legends of the industry and she always wanted to be an actress but had to let go of those dreams because of family pressures. My father, who gave me this voice, wanted to be a hero himself but he too had to sacrifice for the sake of the family. And when I desired to be an actor, my father was apprehensive but my mother was supportive because a mother is always a mother. That's why I say that although Telugu is my first language, Kannada is my life language."

"And although I aspired to be an IAS officer in real life and wasn't able to be because of many other reasons, I could live that dream through films. I began my Kannada journey in 1993 with Kumkuma Bhagya and Police Story came about in 1996 - and if I am known as Agni even today, that's because of you all. When the people of Karnataka made me a hero, my parents' dream came true. That's why I say I am Made in Bengaluru," said Sai Kumar at the media event.