Naga Chaitanya has plenty of reasons to smile says This has been a great year for me

Naga Chaitanya has plenty of reasons to smile. His “Ye Maya Chesave” struck BO gold, he’s got two movies in his kitty and the year’s ending on a high note. “This has been a great year for me. I couldn’t have asked for more. “YMC” means a lot to me and it changed the course of my career completely.”

With a couple of Tollywood’s eligible bachelors tying the knot this year, does Chai have similar plans? “Love is a very special feeling and maybe in a couple of years I might find Ms Right,” he smiles. So, would he like his girlfriend to be like Jessie, the character played by Samantha in “YMC”? “If I had a girlfriend, she wouldn’t be like Jessie. I can’t take it when girls are so confused. Love is a very important thing in my life. I like the feeling of love and being loved. I told my parents not to think of marriage now. I would like to choose my girl.”

Post “Josh” and “YMC”, Chai admits that he has evolved as an actor, “I am evolving with every film. Acting is a profession where there is always scope for newer ways of emoting.” While dad Nagarjuna does at least two films a year, Chai had just one release this year. Is that a conscious decision? “Not at all. The movie I am doing now with Tamannah was supposed to hit the screens this month. Due to technical problems and the strike, the release got delayed. It will release in March. I’d like to do at least two good films a year. ”

Chaitanya is the grandson of two of the industry’s stalwarts, Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Daggubati Ramanaidu whose families are grounded in Telugu cinema. This young actor quips that there is healthy competition at home and it is a blessing in disguise. “We need competition to keep growing. “YMC” and Rana’s “Leader” released almost at the same time. Rana and I didn’t want that to happen, but there are five actors from our family and we can’t help have simultaneous releases. In a way it is good to compete as younger actors are game for experimentation and innovation,” he feels. “Rana and my dad had the advantage of knowing Hindi. I grew up in Chennai where Hindi isn’t spoken much. I know Tamil. Currently, my interest is Telugu and Tamil cinema. I would like to do a bi-lingual with Telugu and Tamil release. However, if the character is fantastic and offer is irresistible, I will learn Hindi.”

While most of his contemporaries prefer to play safe by doing movies only with big directors, Chai doesn’t seem to have such reservations. He claims that new directors come with fresh ideas. “I feel new directors think out of the box. Now Telugu cinema is in a phase where audience is bored with regular commercial films and wants something new. I don’t mind doing films with new directors with great scripts.”
Being a star kid, Chai is by default compared to his dad. “People compare my walking style and body language to dad’s. He is looking younger by the day and it is a huge pressure to meet his fitness levels. I want to be known for the person that I am. I want to be known for my acting skills too than be identified only as someone’s grandson or son. People still think I can do only lover boy roles. I tell directors not to look at me as a hero. I want to be a character. I got into cinema because acting interested me and not stardom. I want to make a mark for myself,” says the actor who is planning to move out of his father’s residence soon to try living independently.