Kollywood actor Arjun Das is making a noteworthy start in Telugu this month. The actor, known for playing negative roles in Karthi's 'Kaithi' and Thalapathy Vijay's 'Master', is foraying into Telugu cinema with 'Butta Bomma'.
Ahead of the theatrical release of 'Butta Bomma' on January 26, Das was today in Hyderabad to promote the movie. He is grateful to producer Naga Vamsi S of Sithara Entertainments, and sounds confident that the film is going to set into motion a lot of things on the career front.
Talking about the remake of 'Kappela' (Malayalam), Das says that it was fun working with director Shourie Chandrasekhar T Ramesh, heroine Anikha Surendran, co-star Surya Vashistta and others.
You made a debut in Tamil with the movie 'Perumaan' in 2012. How do you map your journey since then?
My first movie was an independent outing. Lokesh Kanagaraj's 'Kaithi' in 2019 is the film that changed the game for me; and more than that, it was the 2021 release 'Master', after which I started to get more and more offers; the roles started getting diverse. In both films, I played characters with negative shades.
Are you going to do negative characters in the coming years, especially now that you are in a comfortable space?
Unless something irresistible comes my way, I am no longer inclined to do negative roles. I am sticking more to lead roles these days. If I have to do a negative part, it has to be really different.
Coming to 'Butta Bomma', what made you accept the movie?
I knew that it is a remake of 'Kappela'. And the casting makes it a fresh film. Sithara Entertainments is a major entity and producer S Naga Vamsi sir's offer was something I couldn't resist. I am keeping my role under wraps for now. It is for the audience to explore it. RK is my name in the film.
When I say casting, not just me but also Anikha Surendra and Surya who have brought freshness to the table. The director Ramesh is an absolute taskmaster. Since I am a non-Telugu actor, everyone in the direction department took care of my dialogues.
You are quite famous for your bass-baritone voice. Have you dubbed for 'Butta Bomma'?
I have. The director and producer wanted me to dub. I am glad that people like my voice. I also want them to talk about my acting! While shooting for the movie in parts of Andhra Pradesh, I was surprised that many commoners could recognize me. People in Tollywood know me because of films like 'Master' and also the Netflix release 'Andhaghaaram' (2020). I watched a number of Telugu movies in Chennai with English subs. The industry here is growing in size and stature.
While your voice is a big plus, do you think it can limit your options?
It's not like directors want to cast me only in negative or angry man roles because of my voice. I am getting to play romantic roles as well these days. I can emote different moods in front of the camera. So, I don't think my voice is imposing constraints.
I am doing quite a few Telugu movies aside from 'Butta Bomma'.
