Ashok Galla made a debut in films earlier this year. In this interview, the young actor talks about his future plans, his openness to various genres, Mahesh Babu's words of appreciation, the fake reports about his participation in a so-called rave party, and more.
'Actor' is now my job description, now that I have debuted in movies. And this is exciting for me. On my 30th birthday, I can finally say I am a professional actor. The debut movie took two years (delayed due to the pandemic). The next film will be a true beginning, almost. I don't want to stick to merely commercial movies. I am open to different genres. I want to do films at a faster pace. Not every film can take two years.
'Hero' did well but I was a bit disappointed that the sort of reception we expected a Sankranthi release to have didn't happen for our movie. The third wave of the pandemic peaked in mid-January. Our calculation was that it would peak only in March.
The post-theatrical OTT release of 'Hero' was a bigger event for me. I received more messages after it came out on OTT than when it was released in theatres.
Mahesh Babu garu did appreciate me after Hero's release. He told me he is proud of me. He said something more but I don't remember anything after his first few words (smiles). Appreciation always motivates us. I derive inspiration from him. 'Murari' is my favourite movie, whose genre, the script can't be repeated. And his performance in that movie was the best.
Around June, a project will be announced. Now that I have tried a commercial comedy, I want to try something else. When I was undergoing training in acting, I felt I am better at intense emotions. My second film will hopefully hit the cinemas this very year. 'Hero' was an easy decision to make. I and director Sriram Adittya had been travelling for some time. I gave the nod after listening to the storyline.
I need to prove myself in Tollywood. The talk of pan-India is not for me at this juncture. If my market goes up, producers will increase the scale of my movies. My family doesn't pressure me into doing this or that kind of movie.
I joined a boarding school in Singapore when I was in Standard VII. They had an acting course in the school. We were trained in dramatic performances. That was their style.
On Saturday night, I had a nice sleep after undergoing physiotherapy for low back pain. In the morning, I was flooded with messages on social media about my alleged participation (in a rave party at the pub where a task force raid happened). I don't know how my name even came to be mentioned.
I would love to do a web series. If I find something interesting, I will definitely go for it. So far, nobody has approached me with an exciting idea.
