46th Birthday Stills Exclusive Pics		Home > Interviews > Nagarjuna An Interview With Nagarjuna Over forty years young and into the nineteenth year of film life - that's Nagarjuna for you. Making his debut in 'Vikram' his subsequent performance in 'Majnu' showed cinegoers that here was a young actor of great promise. Today he is among the top heroes of the Telugu cinema. Setting a new trend with 'Siva', riding the crest of success in the movies, 'Hello Brother', 'Antam', 'Allari Alludu', 'Kirai Dada', 'Vikki Dada', 'Aakhari Poratam', securing the admiration of all classes of audiences with movies like, 'Sivamani', 'Mass', 'Super', and rising to level of an idol of worship of all Andhras with his talented performance of Annamayya, Nagarjuna is celebrating his 46th birth anniversary today. Extending our greetings to him and wishing Nagarjuna many happy returns of the day, we present here the extracts from an interview with him. Any birthday resolutions on the occasion of your 46th birth anniversary? It's going to be my forty-sixth year in this world and the 19th in my film career. So no special resolutions as such. If I make any, you'll be the first to know. From being a great actor's son and heir, to the stage of a hero and then on to the position of a producer - yours throughout has been a success story. What is the secret of your success? No, mine hasn't been a career of all successes. I've had my share of failures too, as a hero and producer as well. My experience has been that I have been successful whenever I have acted on my instinct and whenever I have done what I have thought will be good. Only when I have gone by others' advice or suggestions, have I failed. I don't however blame them for my failures. All that I mean is that when I listen to too much of advice I get confused. I am convinced that when I am guided by my thinking and instinct, I do well. This has been my experience. And that is the foundation of the success I have ever had. But one thing. Success is always the result of team effort, seldom is it the result of individual attempt. Was 'Super' up to your expectations? Yes, that indeed is the reason why we have made it. Unfortunately, however, it hasn't been the hit I have expected it to be. The movie was mainly targeted at the youth, and it has had a strong appeal to the youth. However, as it lacks the sentiment that women appreciate in a movie, it has failed to attract them. But the box office collections on the opening day were quite high and there hasn't been any loss. How do you take successes and failures? I take them alike. They make very little difference to me. When we make a movie, we make it only with a hope of success. It's the audiences that decide whether it is a success or failure. If my movie turns out to be a hit, I share my happiness with everyone concerned. If it flops I analyze the failure. Of course I do feel disappointed but I keep the disappointment to myself, and I put on a bold face. Obviously we can't share our distress with others. You seem to have a preference for new directors. Why? That's right. There's always recognition for anything new. I enjoy novelty. When you attempt something new, you think new, you get new ideas; you work on the ideas of tomorrow. Isn't that exciting? Those who attempt the new always enjoy a high regard, I feel. New directors bring out the new phases of the actor in me. That gives me confidence. I have been able to assert myself as a hero only when I have struck a new path. This has been my experience. It is said that you found doing 'Annamayya' a big challenge and it was a real struggle for you. Yes, certainly. I did think a lot before accepting the role. That Mr Raghavendra Rao was the director decided things for me. 'Nagarjuna as Annamaya!' many were skeptical. But my performance and the movie in general left them speechless in wonder. There were those who did raise their eyebrows at the mush I sported as Annamayya, and those who ridiculed the sequences in which Annamaya sings duets. What such people should understand is, all said and done, a movie is just a means of entertainment. Acting the aging Annamaya in the climax of the movie was a real challenge to me. It was really tough. But that bit of my performance brought me the commendation of all. That was really satisfying. For six months after the make up was removed, I had trouble. But that was more than made up by the success of the movie and the applause I received. Who is your most favorite heroine? Any scene in which you felt a bit shaky or nervous while acting? Tabu is my most favorite heroine. No, I don't remember any scenes acting in which I felt nervous or shaky, though there was one such occasion. I felt a little diffident when I acted opposite Sridevi in 'Aakhari Poratam'. She is my senior; she has acted opposite my dad too, and is very good at dancing. So whenever I had to act with her, I used to practice well at home before reaching the sets. That way I got rid of my nervousness. But when I was again teamed with her in 'Govinda Govinda' I was fully reassured, and had no trouble. How do you imagine yourself in the role of Ramadasu? I read about him when I was a school boy. I knew a little more about him on a visit to Golkonda long ago. But the thought that I am going to do the role fills me with a bliss that words can little express. I am now totally focused on the role of Ramadasu. I consider it my great fortune that I have been offered the role which decades ago was portrayed by a genius of an actor late Nagaiah You have proved a worthy successor to your father. Any idea of initiating your sons Chaitanya and Nikhil into movies? People find a close resemblance between me and Chaitanya. That's a real compliment. He has come of age and he can decide for himself. As for Nikhil, he doesn't want to be an actor. He is after cricket and wants to make it big as a cricketer. Let's wait and see what future has in store for them. Who are your favorite music directors, and your favorite songs, that is, in your movies? My most favorite music director is Keeravani. The songs in Annamayya strongly appeal to me. Another song I like a lot is 'Mila Mila...' in 'Super'.