'Valimai' will be heading to theatres on February 24 in both Telugu and Tamil. Kartikeya Gummakonda of 'RX 100' fame has played the main villain in it.
In this interview, catch him talk about his role, working with Kollywood superstar Ajith, how he sees failures, teaming up with 'RX 100' director again, his upcoming movies, and more.
I received a call from director H Vinoth's office in 2019. By then, I had watched his movie 'Khakee'. I was told that I was being roped in because of my appearance and performance in 'RX 100'. The director's assistant gave me a brief about the negative character in 'Valimai'. In 'Gang Leader', my character was limited to the desire to become a racer. In 'Valimai', my character is more layered. Moreover, it's an Ajith sir's movie. I will gain visibility.
The team of 'Valimai' was intent on showing me in a better way. My look was styled to fit the bill. On both professional and personal fronts, Ajith sir is a different person. During the shoot of the bike stunt, he was injured severely. Yet, he didn't take a leave. He took the injury in his stride because he didn't want others' schedules to be thrown out of gear.
Ajith sir is known for his racing skills. I had done racing scenes in 'Gang Leader' but I don't have in-depth knowledge. I did some homework amid safety measures for 'Valimai'. I was given a very good bike for practice. It was a challenge to do it with Ajith sir, who is super-fast. He takes just a couple of seconds to zoom past you.
Eighty percent of the racing shots were done by me without body doubles. Ajith sir did almost all of them.
'Valimai' is a Tamil word. It means not just physical strength but also mental strength. Logically speaking, a Telugu title should have been chosen. But since the Tamil title has been all over across social media platforms since the pandemic began, they have retained the title for the Telugu version as well.
Whether I am playing a hero or a villain, the effort is the same. A hero can't give certain expressions. Playing a villain is more enjoyable, given you can give some rare expressions. When you are the hero, there is too much pressure in terms of mustering box-office numbers. It's another matter that the hero benefits disproportionately when his film becomes a hit.
Ajith sir doesn't discuss acting or films on set. Once he is off-camera, he talks about bike racing, cooking, and such topics. He behaves like a common man and gels with his co-stars like a friend.
The pan-India release is a huge blessing. When I signed up to do 'Valimai', I thought it would only be a Tamil movie. The pan-India trend is fast catching up. I hope I will get recognition in other languages starting from this movie.
'Valimai' is not a Tamil-nativity movie. It's universal. Even my character reflects the thinking of a lot of today's youngsters. The kind of action scenes in 'Valimai' haven't been seen in recent times. The cat-and-mouse chase, the mother-son sentiment... everything feels rooted. The Telugu audience will love the elements.
The biggest challenge was learning Tamil lines for this movie. Before 'Valimai', I didn't know the language. You have to know the language to get your reactions perfect in front of the camera. I haven't dubbed in Tamil. That would have needed flawless delivery. The next time I do a Tamil movie, I will definitely do the dubbing myself.
I am a fan of Yuvan Shankar Raja. Ajith sir's film with him, 'Mankatha', had superb BGM. When you work with a big star, you get to work with super-talented technicians like him.
Obviously, I want to become a big star ten years down the line. Playing a variety of roles is a means towards an end. Even when I am playing a negative role, there will be some things that I won't be doing.
'Bheemla Nayak' coming out on Feb 25 is definitely a competition for 'Valimai'. I am a bit disappointed but that's fine. 'Valimai' will have its audience.
Regardless of my failures (referring to 'Chaavu Kaburu Challaga' and 'Raja Vikramarka'), I am landing movie offers. I have been constantly busy. I haven't run out of offers. I am not a greedy actor. My failures have taught me various lessons. 'RX 100' came my way like a blessing. Its director (Ajay) and its heroine (Payal Rajput) haven't been doing great after that movie. I don't want to repeat mistakes.
Upcoming movies: I have a film lined up with UV Creations. A newcomer named Prashanth is directing it. I have a movie with Sridevi Movies. 'RX 100' director Ajay Bhupathi and I are in talks. It might be a bilingual, and it won't be a sequel to 'RX 100'. There is another movie with an upcoming production house. I know nothing about the project with Sukumar garu. The talks didn't proceed after an initial start. He got busy with 'Pushpa'.
