Aadi: I had doubts about working with a woman director

Aadi, son of senior actor and dubbing artiste Sai Kumar got noticed and received accolades for his performance in his first film Prema Kavaali last year.

Aadi is now ready with his second Telugu film, Lovely, directed by Jaya B.

The young actor talks about Lovely that'll be releasing on March 30 in this exclusive interview with Radhika Rajamani.

What was it about Lovely that appealed to you?

Venkat garu and Atchi Reddy garu of RR Movies were hearing scripts as they had decided to produce my next film.

When they heard Jaya's script, they felt it would showcase my talent. Then my father and I heard the script. Within four days we finalised, and started shooting within a month.

What was it like being directed by a woman?

Frankly, I had doubts whether I could work with a woman. But after four or five days, I felt fine. Jaya garu was very nice.

She was dedicated and punctual. She would keep people on their toes. She maintained discipline and I liked her dynamism. She was also friendly and cool. 

Is Lovely a love story? If so, how different is it from Prema Kavaali?

It is a love story. It's not so different. In Prema Kavaali, my characterisation was of a shy guy. In Lovely, the role is manly. It's an urban love story and the youth can relate to it. Also, the film has some touching scenes between father and daughter.

Can you talk about your role?

I play an intelligent guy, who is carefree and casual at the same time. In the second half, when the movie turns serious, people will wonder if this character has any depth.

Do you get to showcase all your skills (dance, action etc) in Lovely like you did in Prema Kavaali?

Yes, all that is there -- it goes with the story.

When you shot songs in Turkey, you were caught in bad weather. Could you talk about that experience?

When we were about to leave for Turkey, the temperature was between 2 and -2 degrees Centigrade. Our last shoot was in Istanbul. When we landed we ran into bad weather. The airport was full of snow. Istanbul witnessed the coldest day in 40 years. So we got stuck there in the snow.

We shot the song in the snow. Istanbul has never looked so beautiful. There was an unexpected further dip in temperature.

The temperature went to -10 degrees centigrade. Our local manager, who also assists in Hollywood films, was wonderful and took care of all of us well.

How did you feel when Mahesh Babu was present at the Lovely audio release function?

I felt blessed and happy. I never expected Mahesh Babu would come. For my first film, Chiranjeevi garu, Nagarjuna garu, Balakrishna garu and Ram Charan came for different functions associated with the film.

Mahesh was cool and smiling throughout the function. Since he released the audio, it became a hit too. He told me the posters of the film are looking good.

You are acting opposite debutante Shanvi in Lovely. In your first film, too, your co-star Isha Chawla, was acting for the first time.

Both Isha and I were debuting in Prema Kavaali. Since Lovely is my second film, I am a little senior and I felt more experienced.

Shanvi had no fear of the camera and was cool. She acted well and will get a good name in the future.

Is your family happy about your success so far?

My family is happy. They say a second film is more important as there are heroes who are one-film wonders. So they want my second film to be a hit.

Have you signed any new projects?

I will be doing Ashok's (of Pilla Zamindar fame) film. It's a unique script. The shoot will begin next month and we hope to release it around Dasara time. This role is in direct contrast to what I've done so far. There's a lot of scope for performance here.

I'm listening to other scripts.