Interview with Sumanth

This is Sumanth's first web interview. We met in the shooting of Yuvakudu. Bhoomika was also there. As she is pure Vegitarian Jayasudha used to bring home cooked Vegitarian food from her house.

Telugucinema.com proudly presents....... an exclusive INTERVIEW with upcoming Hero SUMANTH. Sumanth, the third generation hero from ANR�s family, believes `acting is in his genes�. Though his first film did not do well at the box office, it certainly earned him a formidable place. A natural actor, he wants to prove himself on the tinsel screen. Sumanth takes Telugu Cinema browsers into confidence and pours out his feelings.

Sri: Education and childhood ambitions
Sumanth: I had my schooling in Hyderabad at Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet. Then I went to USA to become an engineer. But I shifted to film and video joining Columbia. At Columbia I concentrated on direction.

Sri: Then why acting?
Sumanth: I always feel acting is something which is instinctive, Relatively direction is more technical and training is needed. Learning direction and other things behind the camera complements the acting. Hence I learned them all.

Sri: Inspiration for acting
Sumanth: My grandpa is a major inspiration and then chinna mamayya. I grew up with them. Naturally I am inclined to that.

Sri: Any training in acting
Sumanth: Not at all. My first movement before camera is the first shot of Premakatha.

Sri: Surprisingly natural acting!
Sumanth: Probably it has a lot to do with genes. My grandfather and uncle were major driving forces for acting in Premakatha. Credit also goes to Ramu.

Sri: So natural as rural guy
Sumanth: I don't know how I did that. It came very naturally. We speak Telugu at home. I have grown up with Grandpa. He was very particular about Telugu. We don�t even call out parents as Mummy and Daddy.

Sri: Voice is the main
Sumanth: My grandpa kills me if somebody else dubs my voice. Even I feel voice is a very integral part of character. It gives the identity. If I do not dub my voice, I am not keeping myself. I am not true to myself. Hence I am dubbing for myself from the beginning�

Sri: But a common feature for heroines
Sumanth: It is unfortunate that we are not having many Telugu girls coming forward. We were very particular about Telugu girl for the present film. But we could not find one. The Bombay girls are more exposed to modelling and media and coming forward.

Sri: Any difficulty with non-Telugu heroines
Sumanth: It is not difficulty. But certainly there is a difference. Though we explain everything to them we miss some natural thing in it. If somebody understands the language in which she is acting she can do it better. Take the examples of Jayasudha and Sridevi. They act in a very natural way.

Sri: Any burden of having legendary ancestor?
Sumanth: Being the grandson of a legend, I am always proud. But the legendary was never a burden on me. It puts lot of responsibility on me. Hence I worked very hard in Premakatha which established me as an actor. If that legendary were not there I would not have done so well.

Sri: Other films and Projects
Sumanth: Apart from this I am doing another film under Raghavendra Rao�s direction. I am acting with Thatha garu (ANR) in that. It is Aswanidath�s production. After that I will be doing a film for SubbaramiReddy �s Gayathri Films under Kodi Ramakrishna�s direction. Then I have another film to be directed by Jayanth and produced by my father and Sivaprasad.

Sri: Do you select your heroine?
Sumanth: No. I will never interfere in selecting the heroine. I am only concerned with the script. If something is wrong with the script I would point out. After all it is my career. Once I say OK to the script I will confine to my acting.

Sri: Encouraging new directors
Sumanth: Until I establish myself properly there is no point in involving new director. Once I have firm foot in the industry I will be the first person to encourage new directors. I have already spoken to many and keen to work with one of them. But I told him the exact reason and asked him to wait for a couple of films.

Sri: Favourite actors other than the family
Sumanth: Amitab Bachan and Amir khan are my favourite heroes. I like Amir khan in Rangeela. In Kodi's film I am doing a role on those lines. From Hollywood Marlin Brando is my favourite. Sridevi is my favourite actress. I still get nervous when I meet her.

Sri: Any plans for Bollywood
Sumanth: Immediately not interested. I am very content. I will concentrate in Telugu. My primary goal is to establish myself in the little kingdom of Telugu.

Sri: Any dream role
Sumanth: Something like My grandpa�s role in Navarathri. I want to do something like that.

Sri: Favourite spot
Sumanth: Home. My home, which is my grandpa�s home and my uncle�s home. I always move around these two places
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Sri: Ideas on marriage
Sumanth: I prefer love marriage

Sri: Anything in the process
Sumanth: Nothing. I hope to have one in future. (laugh)

Sri: Any message for Telugucinema.com
Sumanth: Thanks for all the support people are giving us through the site.