As you step into the well-designed drawing room of actor Venkatesh it‘s hard not to miss the portrait of the great thinker Ramana Maharshi. "That‘s an uncommon photo in a film actor‘s office!" we exclaim. Bang comes the retort, "Who else, other than him?" And by way of explanation he talks about his spiritual quest which began almost 17 years ago.
Spiritual pursuit
"It was a success yatra of one of my hit films. There was an overwhelming response and a huge crowd was pressing in. It ought to have been a moment of celebration, but I found myself unable to respond to them in any way," reveals Venky, who soon realised that his happiness lay elsewhere and with perseverance discovered his higher-self under the guidance of spiritual masters.
Family
The proud family man dedicates the weekend to his family to maintain a perfect worklife balance. "On Sundays I spend considerable time with my family. My daughters are my worst critics and so are my other family members," discloses the actor with a smile.
Films
Coming to films, he describes his next release Chintakalaya Ravi as a love story with a good dose of fun. When asked about its funny title he says, "When I heard the title I instantly liked it. I consciously wanted a light hearted romance after the action flick Tulasi."
The actor who mastered the art of blending self-pity and humour into his roles and succeeded to a great extent says, "It‘s a challenge to portray divergent emotions and I have won the appreciation of the audience for many such roles. I also heard that Akshay Kumar has succeeded with a similar kind of image in Bollywood. However, the audience loved me in fiery roles too, in Dharma Chakram and Laxmi as well."
About introducing new director Yogi with Chintakalaya Ravi he says, "I know him from the days of Abbaiyigaru and finally we felt that this big entertainer will be ideal for his break and he lived up to our expectations."
The seasoned actor deserves kudos for encouraging the onefilm wonder Krish as the duo will join hands for another film Krishnam Vande Jagatgurum. "I am not playing Lord Krishna since it‘s a regular social film but it will be a serious and sincere effort to provide novel entertainment. Again on the title I stuck to my view and others followed suit" informs the popular actor.
Aging gracefully
The pious man who conquered chaos in his life after embarking on a divine track is not against the money-minded young generation but feels that every individual has to take the spiritual call one day or the other for everlasting peace.
Doesn‘t he feel older as his nephew Rana is all set to turn actor. "Not at all. I would like to age gracefully by doing some matured roles with a brush of youthfulness. There are many talented young actors around but I urge them to be a bit adventurous in choosing scripts," he quips.
Now that his sibling is establishing an acting institute, does the seasoned actor consider acting innate or a trained skill? "It is bit of both. For some it comes naturally for others they need to work hard on it. But undergoing training will definitely help to understand the basics of acting. As for as my performance is concerned I rely on my memory bank and also keenly observe varied individuals," concludes the experienced actor. Are aspiring actors listening?
