Naga Chaitanya: Bangarraju is a perfect blend of romance and entertainment

The actor is teaming up with his father, actor Nagarjuna for Bangarraju, nearly 8 years after Manam

Naga Chaitanya

Sekhar Kammula's Love Story had already proved that all it took was a good, smart director to bring out the best of Naga Chaitanya as a performer. Delivering Telugu film industry's first major success post the second wave of the pandemic, the actor is back in action with Bangarraju for Sankranthi, the sequel to Soggade Chinni Nayana, where he's collaborating with his father, Nagarjuna, after 8 years. In an interaction with the media today, the actor spoke of his Bangarraju experiences and what audiences could expect from the rural entertainer.

"When I acted with my father (Nagarjuna) and granddad (ANR) for Manam, I was very conscious as an actor. After all these years I think I've overcome my inhibitions and felt liberated while shooting for Bangarraju. I had asked dad several doubts about the character. It's the first time that I'm part of a sequel and honestly, I feel nervous. I had to watch Soggade Chinni Nayana time and again as part of my prep for this film. Dad and I have equally prominent roles in the film. His role is not a special appearance by any means," he said.

Confirming that Krithi Shetty is the film's female lead, Naga Chaitanya added that other actresses like Vedhika, Faria Abdullah and Daksha Nagarkar only have special appearances. "Their presence contributes to Bangarraju's festival vibe. Audiences will really enjoy the songs in the theatres. It's exactly what they would expect from a festive release. The film is a perfect blend of romance and entertainment. I and Krithi have several hilarious scenes. Bangarraju is an entertaining ride all the way," he mentioned.

Bangarraju's script work had commenced nearly four years ago. "We had to wait all this while to adjust our schedules and work together. The film was completed in one straight schedule over 90 days. I have used several props of grandad to suit the character. Krithi came to sets doing a lot of homework for her performance and her dedication is certainly praiseworthy. She has done full justice to the character. Working with Ramya Krishna was a great learning curve, she is such a jolly person. I always look forward to working with actors from the earlier generations," the Majili actor shared.

The film also has over 35 minutes with a lot of VFX work. All the action episodes were choreographed by stunt director duo Ram-Laxman. "The episodes are truly larger than life and I had to do quite bit of training for them," he quipped. His next release after Bangarraju is Thank You with Vikram K Kumar, with whom he's also collaborating for a horror web series later. "I am a little scared of horror films. Thank You is one schedule away from completion. I play a character with three different shades in it. The shoot was delayed owing to the pandemic."

Naga Chaitanya is also set to make his Bollywood debut with Laal Singh Chaddha. "I have had an experience of a lifetime shooting for it. The film's shoot is complete. Every actor must work with Aamir Khan at least once in their careers to know what I'm talking about."

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