Aadi Saikumar will be seen in 'Sashi', which will release on March 19. In this interview, he talks about the film, what it is about, his character, working with Surbhi, Ajay and others.
When the director Srinivas Naidu gave me the narration, he gave a detailed one. The characterization feels new. The scenes in 'Sashi' are dramatic and real. I play a middle-class guy who feels natural.
When I listened to the tunes of the five songs, which were finalized before the story came my way, I was bowled over instantly. I love 'Dheemthana Dheemthana' personally. 'Okey Oka Lokam', sung by Sid Sriram, has been a great hit. It took five days for the song to cross one million views. But after that, the pace was lightning. We didn't reshoot the song after it became a big hit. Since the lyrical video had footage of the song, we didn't want to reimagine it.
As the trailer shows, Sashi is the name of Surbhi's name. There is a reason behind the name. The film is an emotional ride. Friendship has a place in the story. But there is also so much about love.
My body language in the film has an aura of rawness and toughness. He doesn't smile. I was asked to grow a thick beard. The director wanted me to look natural. I was not sure as to how I would look in a thick beard. I didn't have a cut for two months to arrive at the look.
'Sashi' is also a family drama. Ajay has played my elder brother and this is going to be one of the best roles in his career. We are so used to watching him in negative roles. He can play positive roles so well. Rajeev Kanakala anna and others, too, have got interesting roles. I am sure that youths and families will connect with our film.
The treatment of my rock band singer's character in the first half is different from how the character gets treated in the second half. The character becomes depressed for a reason. It's not routine.
Pawan Kalyan garu received us so well during the launch of the trailer. He listened to the 'Okey Oka Lokam' song and said that it's very catchy.
'Sashi' was supposed to release in theatres last year. A lot of us got affected and nobody knew when the film industry would be restarted. I and other young actors used to discuss it. But normalcy is back, thankfully.
The tastes of the audience are changing. But if a film connects with the audience, they will endorse it through positive word of mouth. No matter how much content is there on OTT, a good film will surely click.
Before marriage, I would be ready to do anything on the screen. After marriage, I am conscious when it comes to doing certain kinds of scenes. I can't be too bold because I have to attract the family audience.
'Sukumarudu' had a good album. But it is 'Lovely' that people remember the most. The songs of 'Sashi' have become very popular, as much as the songs of 'Lovely' were.
After 'Chuttalabbayi', I have done only content-oriented films. 'Jodi' was a good film but something went wrong with the release strategy or publicity. 'OGF' was also content-driven. My next film, 'Jungle' is a complete horror movie. It's a genre film. 'Black' is a thriller in which I will be seen as a cop. A new film of mine will be launched on March 24. It will be directed by a new director. It's an interesting story. I want to be a versatile actor.
I want to do an action film if something very interesting comes my way. The audience may not accept me in an out-and-out action flick.
