“Now I am confident enough to face my father again on camera,” says Naga Chaitanya

By Subhash K. Jha -

November 23, 2021 - 11:55 AM IST

The success of his latest release Love Story has given young Telugu star Naga Chaitanya who celebrates his birthday today, a new phase in his career. “I’ve never felt more confident as an actor. So far it’s all been a process of trying to understand myself as an actor. Only now do I feel I know my strengths and weaknesses as an actor… or rather, I am just getting to know them.”

“Now I am confident enough to face my father again on camera,” says Naga Chaitanya

Naga, who turns 35 on 23 November, is now going to be seen in a film with his father the legendary Nagarjuna. Says Chaitanya excitedly, “I have done a film with my father early in my career. It was called Mannan where I had a double role. My late grandfather Akkineni Nageswara Rao was also a part of it. Now I think I am confident enough to face my father again on camera.”

Chaitanya reveals details on his new project with his father. “Bangarraju is a sequel to my father’s superhot film Soggade Chinni Nayana which came in 2016. Bangarraju co-stars my father and I. The plot is slightly modified from the original. A role for me has been specially stitched into the plot and then there’s some added action too. It’s going to be an out-and-out commercial entertainer. Because that is what fans expect from us.”

Chaitanya says his style of acting is different from his father’s. “While I prefer a lower-key style of acting, my father belongs to a different school of acting. He belongs to that larger-than-life school of cinema for which I have to rearrange my acting chops. People think commercial cinema is easy to do. But I think it’s very difficult to attempt anything in the larger-than-life genre.”

What are Naga Chaitanya’s birthday plans? “No plans as such. I am here in Mysore for the entire month shooting with my father for Bangarraju. I think a teaser of the film will be put out on my birthday. Otherwise, it’s a working day for me. And I’d like it no other way.”

Also Read: First look of Naga Chaitanya’s Bangarraju unveiled by Nagarjuna Akkineni