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'Bodyguard has been styled according to my body language'
Sankranthi has been a favourable time for Venkatesh. The films he has relased during the festival over the years, such as Kalisundam Raa and Lakshmi, have done well.
After nearly a year, the superstar's Bodyguard releases on January 14. The Malayalam original has seen many versions -- including Salman Khan's Hindi version -- and this Telugu one is directed by Gopichand Malineni.
In this exclusive interview with Radhika Rajamani at Rama Naidu studios, Venkatesh waxes eloquent about Bodyguard and also talks about his new projects.
What attracted you to the Telugu remake of Bodyguard?
I was one of the first to see the Malayalam version. There was some freshness in the love story. Siddique (the director) wanted to do the remakes one by one. He got busy with the Tamil and Hindi versions first.
I felt it was a minimum guarantee film. The love story had a nice twist. The other versions were successful. And it has been styled according to my body language.
How has the Telugu version been adapted?
When I say adaptation, I mean the lead character plays the role in his style. The expressions look different. The body language is different. So the film looks different.
'My priority is to always make a safe film'
Do you think a remake in Telugu will work now that it has appeared in Hindi?
Just about 15 per cent of the audience would have seen the Hindi film which was a hit. There are advantages and disadvantages to that. There was a lot of publicity for the Hindi version.
People will be wondering whether the Telugu version can reach that level. We have certainly attempted to do so.
From the beginning my priority is that I should make a safe film. Buyers and others should get what they want without incurring losses.
How has your role been conceptualised?
I play the bodyguard for the character played by Trisha. I go with her to college and study with her. There are interaction scenes with the students. There is music in college. There is action too.
The trailer received a good response and so expectations have gone up.
'Ladies will love the film'
Will it attract women to the theatres? Women generally like your films.
Yes, the ladies will love the film. The love story is new and interesting. The way it is dealt with is nice.
Thaman's background score is good. He has taken it to another level. The film has entertainment and action; it's glossy and rich.
It's a typical film for Sankranthi given my track record.
What was it like doing action sequences?
It was challenging. I found myself in a mood to do action on screen. I felt I could pull it off and I'm happy with the result. The fights by Ram Laxman look new. I found the visuals good.
Trisha and you come together for the third time after AMAV and Om Namo Venkatesa. Was she the first choice for the role?
She was pretty much the first choice. We wanted a modern girl yet with a sympathetic look and who could emote a lot. After AMAV we are a successful combo.
'It's been a nice experience working on the film'
Why was Gopichand Malineni chosen to direct the film?
Siddique was busy with the Hindi version and I didn't want to delay the project. I am glad Gopichand has done the film.
The pressure is there as the film is successful in other languages.
It's been a nice experience working on the film. It was nice to see the young technicians' enthusiasm and their working style was different. I sat also in on music sessions while the music was being composed. It's nice to see these young people grow and we guide them to bring out a good product. It's a good feeling to be part of their career graph.
Anything else you would like to talk about?
I managed to go to Canada for a song. It was a visual treat. We shot near Calgary at Banff National Park. I was the first to get those locations long ago. And we went back again. In fact I waited for the fall. The weather was bad but we managed to pull through.