After a very long time, actor Sairam Shankar is back to acting with the Vey Dharuvey film, whose teaser was recently unveiled by Sai Durgha Tej (Sai Dharam Tej). Rose to fame with films like 143, Danger, and Bumper Offer, the actor last appeared in the 2017 film Nenorakam. His 143 film has been highly praised, so much so that even SS Rajamouli has multiple times confessed that 143 is one of his most favourite films. After almost 7 years, he returned with a film, but isn’t the actor apprehensive that the audience will receive him with the same love and warmth that they once showered on him? Let us hear from the actor in this exclusive interview: “Comedy has always been my biggest strength. This film, Vey Dharuvey, has comedy and a story with purpose, and I believe this kind of story will be a good comeback for me.”
He continued, “The majority of the film has comedy. Comedy has always been a safe genre, and the movie also has a little family sentiment. So at this particular point in my career, playing with comedy, which is my asset, will be correct for a re-entry.”
Vey Dharuvey, despite having all commercial elements like fights and songs, was able to finish the shooting within 35 days, and the actor credits the whole cast and crew for being efficient enough to wrap the whole schedule in 35 days. “There is advanced screenplay these days. However, if we look closely, all big directors follow commercial formats only. Because of OTT, we began to discuss a lot of non-linear films, but speaking in theatrical terms, these regular films with commercial aspects went on to become big hits. Vey Dharuvey might be regular, but it has emotion and comedy to engage the audience,” said the actor about the commercial angle in the film.
Asked what he expects from the audience with this film, he gave a very realistic answer, which will impress you. He shared, “My intention is not to make a blockbuster film. After watching it, I want the audience to feel that ‘yes, this is a one-time watch. Sai returned after a long time, and he managed to make us all laugh with comedy’. Although I had other films in hand, I was fixated on doing this film first because of the comedy factor.”
This movie boasts a hilarious cast, including Satyam Rajesh, Sunil, and Prabha Sreenu, who are known for their comedy timing, and the actor is confident that with the presence of these renowned comedians in the film, the audience will surely have a fun time in theaters.
Written and directed by D. Naveen Reddy and produced under the Sai Teja Entertainments banner, the film has Kannada girl Yasha Shivakumar play the female lead, while Hebbah Patel has been roped in for a special song.
“All the scenes between me and Yasha will be like a tug of war, as both our characters in the film are high on attitudes,” said the Neninthe star.
The actor has also confessed that this story was initially written by the director for another actor, but it came to him later on. “No changes have been made to the story since I came on board. We went by the original story itself, and when it’s a comedy film, you know how on-spot improvisations work,” he shared, adding, “The whole film has been shot in Hyderabad and Kamareddy, except for one song, which was shot in Chikmanglur.”
Speaking further, he is the brother of popular director Puri Jagannath. Despite having a huge backing in the industry, it took almost 7 years for him to have a theatrical release, and he compensates for this gap with three films whose shooting is almost done. “My two years were almost gone in COVID, and the rest of the time I was shooting and listening to other scripts, whose shooting is almost over,” he comprehended. He further made it very clear that he will not be making a film with his brother Puri Jagannath because of the difference in budget scales.
He also clarified that his bumper offer 2 is completely on; it was put on hold because of COVID, and that he will surely do it soon.
On the work front, his upcoming three films are said to be fully commercial with family entertainers. One of the films, Oka Pathakam Prakaram, is an investigative thriller, while the other, Resound, is again a society-oriented film. “I am going to be even more careful with my movies going forward,” concluded Sairam Shankar.
He continued, “The majority of the film has comedy. Comedy has always been a safe genre, and the movie also has a little family sentiment. So at this particular point in my career, playing with comedy, which is my asset, will be correct for a re-entry.”
Vey Dharuvey, despite having all commercial elements like fights and songs, was able to finish the shooting within 35 days, and the actor credits the whole cast and crew for being efficient enough to wrap the whole schedule in 35 days. “There is advanced screenplay these days. However, if we look closely, all big directors follow commercial formats only. Because of OTT, we began to discuss a lot of non-linear films, but speaking in theatrical terms, these regular films with commercial aspects went on to become big hits. Vey Dharuvey might be regular, but it has emotion and comedy to engage the audience,” said the actor about the commercial angle in the film.
Asked what he expects from the audience with this film, he gave a very realistic answer, which will impress you. He shared, “My intention is not to make a blockbuster film. After watching it, I want the audience to feel that ‘yes, this is a one-time watch. Sai returned after a long time, and he managed to make us all laugh with comedy’. Although I had other films in hand, I was fixated on doing this film first because of the comedy factor.”
This movie boasts a hilarious cast, including Satyam Rajesh, Sunil, and Prabha Sreenu, who are known for their comedy timing, and the actor is confident that with the presence of these renowned comedians in the film, the audience will surely have a fun time in theaters.
Written and directed by D. Naveen Reddy and produced under the Sai Teja Entertainments banner, the film has Kannada girl Yasha Shivakumar play the female lead, while Hebbah Patel has been roped in for a special song.
“All the scenes between me and Yasha will be like a tug of war, as both our characters in the film are high on attitudes,” said the Neninthe star.
The actor has also confessed that this story was initially written by the director for another actor, but it came to him later on. “No changes have been made to the story since I came on board. We went by the original story itself, and when it’s a comedy film, you know how on-spot improvisations work,” he shared, adding, “The whole film has been shot in Hyderabad and Kamareddy, except for one song, which was shot in Chikmanglur.”
Speaking further, he is the brother of popular director Puri Jagannath. Despite having a huge backing in the industry, it took almost 7 years for him to have a theatrical release, and he compensates for this gap with three films whose shooting is almost done. “My two years were almost gone in COVID, and the rest of the time I was shooting and listening to other scripts, whose shooting is almost over,” he comprehended. He further made it very clear that he will not be making a film with his brother Puri Jagannath because of the difference in budget scales.
He also clarified that his bumper offer 2 is completely on; it was put on hold because of COVID, and that he will surely do it soon.
On the work front, his upcoming three films are said to be fully commercial with family entertainers. One of the films, Oka Pathakam Prakaram, is an investigative thriller, while the other, Resound, is again a society-oriented film. “I am going to be even more careful with my movies going forward,” concluded Sairam Shankar.
