Kamal Kamaraju opens up on the efforts that went behind his role in Natyam

Actor, architect, Kamal Kamaraju, who shot to fame with his performances in films like Avakai Biryani, Godavari and Maharshi, will next be seen in Natyam, all set to release this week in theatres on October 22. The dance-centric film marks the debut of danseuse Sandhya Raju in Telugu cinema and is directed by Revanth Korukunda. For the first time in his career, Kamal, a non-dancer himself, got to play the part of a classical dancer. The actor, who was initially reluctant to take up the offer, opened up on the preparation that went behind his authentic portrayal of a Kuchipudi dancer in Natyam. 

The film offer came to him when he was shooting for Maharshi in Dehradun. When Kamal Kamaraju opined that it would make sense to rope in an actor familiar with dance and nearly passed the buck, Revanth was insistent that the former come on board. Kamal was frank that this would mean a lot of time for preparation (which eventually lasted a year) and he clearly went an extra mile to get his act right for the role. His confident moves in the film's songs and promos are a true reflection of the effort he has put in. 

"The character of Hari is one of the most special roles I played. It gave me an opportunity to prepare and it needed consistency. These are the kind of roles I love to play and am elated that new age directors are coming up with such roles for actors. Right from Avakai Biryani, I always desired to play roles that can challenge me as an actor and this one would not be possible without the support of director Revanth, my teacher and co-artist Sandhya Raju and my family," Kamal shared.

Sandhya Raju too hailed Kamal's efforts and claimed that she was a satisfied teacher, while talking at the pre-release event held on Sunday. Kamal couldn't make it to the event owing to a shoot in Madhya Pradesh, for his next with director Teja. Natyam is written, cinematographed, edited and directed by Revanth Korukonda with Sandhya Raju also handling the production, costume design and choregraphy departments. The film is the second theatrical release for Kamal Kamaraju in 2021 after the Pawan Kalyan-starrer Vakeel Saab.