In a no-holds-barred interview, actor Nagarjuna speaks his heart out about his work, the women in his life and being a superstar dad to his sons
You are nearing your silver jubilee in the film industry, but there's something about the Nagarjuna that we first saw in "Vikram", and later in hits like "Geetanjali", "Criminal" etc., that is still intact, that's ageless... What's the secret?
thank you... i really don't know, but a lot of people do ask me this. I am not trying to be modest or anything, but I guess I've been fortunate. Perhaps it's the balance that I try to maintain in everything... I don't overdo anything, and neither will I say 'don't do this' or 'don't do that'. Everything I do, I do in moderation. That balance and consistency, be it in my personal life or work, has helped me a lot.
For your viewers, you may not have changed too much - they walk into theaters knowing exactly what to expect from a Nagarjuna-starrer. but personally, how much have you changed over the decades?
Of course, I have changed a lot. You have to evolve. if I don't evolve, then I'm stupid. You have to try to become a better person... From what I was 20-25 years ago, I have changed quite a bit. And I would undo a lot of things if I had a chance. But then again, all those mistakes and all those things I did over the years, have made me what I am today.
Undo what exactly?
Oh, there'd be a lot of things... Movies I did, scripts I chose, equations i had with people, may be friendships I broke off due to the hot-headedness of my younger days. But you want to get over it all at some point, you know.You just grow out of those things. Yeah, so I have changed quite a bit.
If you compare your track record to that of actors who can be called your peers, you are much more star-like - living it large, in both your personal and professional lives. You spell flamboyance, you have a couldn't-care-less attitude and you are one of the most controversial stars, linked to some of the hottest girls... And it's funny that this has been the story for some 20-odd years now...
Maybe it's the price you pay for being different in a traditional industry. I am not trying to play a drama or pretend in real life also... I am very open about these things, there is nothing hush-hush about my friendships either. So they write, what to do...? I am not really doing any bad things, am I? The controversies they create can, at the most, be about some affair I'm supposedly having, or me pushing my son's film... i believe that the day I cease to exist as a star, there will not be any controversy. these things go hand in hand. If anyone writes anything about me, it's only because I am popular. I have to look at it that way - as long as it doesn't bother my wife, my children and my parents, I am happy.
What's interesting is that stories about your link-ups never die down. They're more like torrid romantic sagas that span years. For instance, we still keep hearing about you and Tabu...
I really don't know where I've got this undeserved crown from... Yes, Tabu is a fantastic friend of mine. our friendship goes way back, since I was 21 or 22 and she was just 16 years old. that's like almost half a lifetime... About our friendship, whatever said is less. I have nothing to hide about her. when you mention her name, my face lights up... (laughs). it is simple as that. Now, when I say things like that, if you want to read into it, then it's your point of view... To me, she is a beautiful person, and a beautiful friend. She always will be.
You never clarify any of the newer rumors either. whether it's your friendship with Anushka, you mentoring Poonam Kaur or supposedly promoting Charmee - you never speak out against anything. And your silence is taken for acceptance. is there nothing you want to say to them?
I'm just amused, I laugh about it in the morning when I have a cup of coffee. When I read something in gossip columns, i say, 'Charmee? Omg! she's so young...' Honestly, you mentioned three people here -Anushka, Charmee and Poonam Kaur. They all did their early films with me. We did a screen test with anushka, and since then she's become part of the family... my parents love her so much. she is a lovely girl. Charmee did "mass" with me. It went on to become a huge hit, and from then onwards, she looks up to me. She calls me "Money" because I gave her the first big pay cheque she ever got. she calls me if she's doing anything new and says, 'I'm doing this, does it sound okay?', 'I am looking for an apartment here, is it okay?' So then they say Nag is buying her an apartment - but that's okay, it's really okay. just because of that I don't want to stop my friendship with any of them. I enjoy their company, i need friends. come on, we need a break, we can't keep working all the time. Poonam kaur was in "gaganam" and she didn't have a single frame with me in that film. nobody thinks about those things. She is a nice girl, i say 'hello, hi, how are you doing', give her a hug, that's natural. i'm not going to stop all that just because I'm going to be written about.
Does it ever get to you?
You know, it's all okay as long as it's fun and games. But when they write about Anushka and me, and then they write about Anushka and my son (Naga Chaitanya) - now, that's a nasty thing. that's what I call nasty journalism. That's one thing that upsets me, I don't like it.
But you still don't react to it...
It's below my dignity, I don't want to give it that kind of importance by even acknowledging it.
Each time a new gossip is churned out, how does your family react to it?
I think we have better things to talk about. we don't even think about it. I'm 50 plus now, and i don't think i need to bother about it. At my age, it's not done anymore. I have a 25-year-old boy, i don't think we say 'they wrote something about you and dad today'. I don't think any indian family talks about things like that...
In spite of everything that's written and said, is Nag a family man?
Yeah, I love my family. i don't think there is life without a family. for me that's the most important thing. My wife Amala is the anchor in my life. i don't think i can live without her, or do any of this without her. She is like my friend, my mother, my wife - you call her anything and she'll be that for me. And I have wonderful sons. I am very, very proud of both of them.
What's Amala's equation with the girls you've been linked with?
Well, they are all her best friends... and that is the best part. everybody, every single one of them is her best friend. in fact, they talk to her more than they talk to me...
Are you an anxious dad - now that Chaitanya has started his career...
Of course, i'm very anxious. i feel the same emptiness if his film flops, like when his last film didn't do well, i was very empty. he consoles me in fact... he says, 'i'm alright, are you? if his film is a hit, I am happy...
How involved are you in his movies?
I am not very involved... He's old enough to take his own decisions. It's difficult to use your own experience to guide someone unless you are hands on, and i don't have the time to be hands-on. May be if he's stuck somewhere, he does turn to me. But that's more about the release date or something going wrong with a film. Never about which script to pick or how to act.
What about advice related to link-ups and rumors?
Well, his first tryst with bad press was when he was doing his first film "josh". Someone had written about him having an affair with someone or getting drunk or some such thing... It got him worked up all night. When I woke up at 5:45 am, he was up and waiting for me. He asked me what will happen now, what to do about it. I told him, 'you wanted to be an actor, you are going to become one, so from now on, this will be life. I'll give you this advice just once in your life. The more popular you get, the more this will happen. So never ask me about it again.' I think he took that advice very seriously... Since that day, he laughs about these things.
Even at the story of his engagement with Anushka?
Yes, that too. He was shooting in switzerland when that rumor spread. I called him up early morning and said, 'hey, you got engaged to anushka last night and you didn't even tell me...' He said, "Woahh, really...' and laughed aloud. I called anushka too and we all had a good laugh.
Chaitanya, we hear, is set to move out of your house...
Yes, chai wants to move out by the end of this year... he should. this is the best part of his life, let him enjoy. He is a young, successful bachelor. This is the time to enjoy his independence... i keep asking him, 'what are you doing at home with me... i need my privacy...' He wants to move out, but wants his food and laundry and everything to be done at my place. (laughs...)
Did chaitanya's entry into films change your choice of films? you can't be seen doing the same kind of films offered to to him after all...
Yes, I have to keep that in mind always and I've noticed that automatically even the directors are conscious about it... It had to happen, i can see it happening... For instance, the other day, they wanted me to say a dialogue which was like "i'm in love with you..." i read it and looked at them. they looked at me and they realized this is not going to work... not just for me, but even for the audience, for the film... they realized then that the same thing can be said in a different way.
Your "damarukam" is a socio-fantasy; "rajanna" is a periodical; and you have a devotional film "Shirdi sai baba". Do you seek out roles with a difference, or have they stopped giving you romantic roles?
Like I said, I think I'd be stupid or foolish if I think I can still run around trees and romance girls. I am beyond that age... I would look very bad doing that. It's not right. (laughs). Yes, people do come and tell me 'yeah you can still do it...' and I tell them "no, you can't do it... it's not done, it's over... the time is over'. I have to look at different kinds of scripts that suit my personality and my age... When people look at me on screen, it should be believable. Yes, Tollywood is still about make-belief, but somewhere you have to have some sanity in that. you can't become completely insane...
There are critics who feel you are too seasoned, too set in a particular image, to be experimenting so much at this stage in your career...
Doing different kinds of roles is a very conscious decision and it is part of my personality. I have always been this way. I get bored of doing the same things, i like novelty. it's been this way, since the early stages of my film career... I took that conscious decision from "Gitanjali". Before that, I used to listen to people around me. i used to think this is the only way to wear clothes or this is the only way to do your make-up or there's only one way to act... Then I told myself, 'no, there's something wrong. this is not me.' With "gitanjali", i made my own decisions... ever since, i've been doing things my way. In fact, most of my huge hits have happened because I took such risks, and followed my heart - be it in terms of story or director.
When an actor leaves his 40s behind, there comes a sense of urgency to quickly do whatever comes his way... That urge to realize all his acting ambitions... do you have any left?
No, not really. Fortunately, i have always had different kinds of roles coming my way. And as for ambitions, I never had any in terms of the roles i have to do. But I love doing mythological roles. i love to play krishna, arjuna... I loved my roles in "annamaya", "ramadasu". I have grown up watching ANR and NTR movies... I am not a religious person, but I am spiritual. I do believe in that higher power even though you may not always find me going to temples.
25-odd years is a long time, no matter which line of work you are in. And you come from a family that's almost like the first family of tollywood - almost everyone from the Akkineni clan is into cinema. Was there a point in life where you felt there is just too much cinema around you? A time when you wanted to break away from it all...?
Our family has been into the business of movies for 70 years. But then again, it doesn't really feel that long. we don't bring work home. neither my father did, nor do I. Of course, there have been times when I said enough, and wanted to escape... the only thing i need to do then is take a break. But within 15 days, I want to get back to it all...
Movie star is just one aspect of your personality. You seem to have your finger in every pie when it comes to business - media, hospitality, education. Is it the money that drives you?
Generally, i would not do anything that would make me lose money, yes. But more than money, it is the passion for something that makes me take it up as a business. I am involved in the things I do from the time I wake up till the time I hit the bed. Only saturdays i set aside to let myself indulge and be a lil' decadent... Otherwise I am passionately working throughout.
What's one venture that's closest to your heart?
I like the hospitality part of my business the most - wining and dining and letting people have a good time. That's close to my heart. But then again, there's this new Film Academy we started. that was always my father's dream, but I told him to hold on till we could start it in a big way. By 2020, we will need at least 3 million trained professionals in film and media. And the truth is we hardly have any trained people here. We want to make ours a degree course and I am very passionate about it.
Surely all this can't be the work of a one-man army?
No, no...I have a strong support system. There's a little bit of family and friends involved, but I mostly depend on professionals. I have a lot of close friends who are business partners... they are all experts at their own thing... i look at it all from a superficial level.
Will Nagarjuna, the businessman, do away with Nag the actor, say, in the next decade or so?
I don't know, let's see. I've always had multiple interests. I knew being a film star is not something that will last forever... Yes, that's the truth even though people say 'But you are Nagarjuna'. So what? nothing lasts forever.
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