Siddharth Rajkumar, who hails from the Rebel star family is making his debut in films as hero through the trilingual film ‘Keratam’. The young hero who entered film industry as a child artist in ‘Naani’ says that his uncle Krishnam Raju was his inspiration to become a hero. His childhood dream to become a hero got fulfilled through ‘Keratam’. On the eve of ‘Keratam’ being successfully screened in theaters Siddharth Rajkumar spoke to the media and shared his views. Here are few excerpts:
About himself: "My original name is Sri Rajkumar Siddharth. But now my name has been changed to Siddharth Rajkumar for films. I was born in Delhi and brought up in Hyderabad. My dad continued to stay in Delhi to take care of his business. My secondary education was in Delhi. My mom and Krishnam Raju garu’s wife Seetadevi are sisters."
About his passion for films: "It was during the vacations of my 6th standard, when I visited my uncle Krishnam Raju’s place, that I developed passion for films by seeing the atmosphere in my uncle’s house where there were bee line of people visiting him to discuss on film related issues. This apart I used to observe his fans showering their affection by watching his characters in the films. That has inspired me to become a hero. When I told my uncle and my parents about my thinking, naturally they advised me to concentrate on my education. I met many directors not only through my uncle but also through my friends."
About his childhood incident: "I used to practice dialogues and dances in front of the mirror and I always used to think about films. I was an active student in my school and would participate in almost all events. I remember one of my childhood incidences very well. Once when I visited the set of ‘Sahasa Veerudu Sagarakanya’, I danced for the song ‘Chikubuku Chikubuku Raile’. Venkatesh garu and Shilpa Shetty were present while I was dancing. Raghavendra Rao garu also appreciated my performance."
The reason for choosing Keratam: "I listened to many stories before agreeing to this film. My friend Sravan introduced me to this film director. I liked the way the director narrated this story. When I heard the story of ‘Keratam’, I realized that my role is very close to my real life character. My character in the film is such that it did not choose the right path even though it gave prominence to education. In my life there have been instances where I skipped the school. Similarly I used to bunk college and go for shootings and study in the last minute. My teacher never had faith in me. But I never felt it wrong at that time because I was not aware of what is right and what is wrong. My only aim was to become an actor."
If not actor: "Apart from films I had a special liking for army right from my childhood. Had I not become an actor I would definitely joined the army. My parents have taught me the value of patriotism right from my childhood. I satisfied them when it came to education."
About Keratam: "The story of ‘Keratam’ has impressed many. There are few friends that I’ve who spoiled their lives by falling in love. This movie will show the impact of such characters which will also communicate good message to the society. After watching the film many have responded saying that the movie does not only convey the message but the true feelings of every student. ‘Keratam’ is not the hero oriented movie but an ordinary young guy’s story. I was pretty satisfied with my character. Those who saw the film were saying that my performance was good as an artist. This is my first attempt. So I need to learn a lot in the near future."
About response for Keratam: "Yeah! There would be definitely great expectations when it’s said that I hail from Rebel Star family. There are all kinds of emotions in this film which was made in three languages. The story is very heart-touching. Response is very good but the film could not reach more number of audience due to too many releases. However the box office collections are good which is the result of word of mouth. The last 45 minutes will make the audience glued to their seats."
After Keratam what next: "So far I’ve not signed any film. There are few offers even from Tamil directors. But I’m waiting for a good story. Right now I’m concentrating on my body building since I wanted to appear as per the liking of my uncle’s fans."
About his favourite films: "I like ‘Bobbili Brahmanna’ and ‘Manavoori Pandavulu’ among all my uncle’s films and I like Prabhas’s ‘Chatrapathi’. I also like Pawan Kalyan’s films."
About his view on life: "Right from my childhood, I’m a patriotic person. Infact we find patriotism in every person. Movies influence a lot in every man’s life. In my opinion everyone should sincerely try not to do any mistakes. I recently participated in Anna Hazare camp along with my friends."
