Hyderabad: In a career spanning just a little more than a decade, Sumanth has seen the high and lows though he has juggled mainstream cinema with some critically acclaimed meaningful films like Godavari and Golconda High School where he received accolades for his performances.
Sumanth is hoping to get over the lean patch with Daggaraga Dooranga, his latest release. Right now Sumanth is keen on doing progressive commercial cinema which he describes as 'cinema with a little more purposeful action and comedy and with songs .'
The hero says, 'Daggaraga Dooranga is on these lines and natural also. I play the character of an ordinary guy facing extraordinary circumstances in this film which has a backdrop of terrorism. The love story is what made me sign the film. It's unique.'
'It is a romantic thriller with the love and thriller elements in equal measure with entertainment. The heroine's character is central in this film. Vedika has a solid role. Brahmanandam will be seen in a new light. All elements are pretty balanced and nothing is overly done. I would say the film is realistic commercial cinema.'
The first half is a bit long drawn out, while the second half happens in a day. It just took 55 days to shoot the film. Sumanth's previous films like Golconda High School which won him kudos for his acting didn't fare as expected. Raaj and Boni (last year) were washouts. 'Golconda High School gave me so much mileage but the film was a fantastic satellite movie for the makers.'
Sumanth is hopeful about this film doing well. 'I definitely need a big commercial hit.' He is open to doing varied roles. 'I would love to do an anti-hero role, a bad guy with proper justification. Also I would like to do a full-on comedy caper. But people are not writing those kinds of roles yet in Telugu. One can't push the boundary too far yet,' he rues.
Sumanth chips in with his inputs whenever necessary at the script stage or later. 'If it is our production I get very involved. In others it's mostly at the script stage and then I get down to acting.'
Somewhere down the line Sumanth may don the director's hat. 'If I direct (maybe in five years) I will direct someone else's script. I can't write but I can identify a good script.' For Sumanth being with a living legend Akkineni Nageswara Rao is part of his life.
'He's like my dad. He has brought me up. We are all together and yet individuals at the same time. Everyone respects that. I have one meal with him every day.' Does he advise him on scripts? 'He knows what applied to his times doesn't now.'
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Hyderabad: In a career spanning just a little more than a decade, Sumanth has seen the high and lows though he has juggled mainstream cinema with some critically acclaimed meaningful films like Godavari and Golconda High School where he received accolades for his performances.
