There’s more to Mallesham actor Ananda Chakrapani than the sympathetic-father stereotype!

It’s high time that Telugu cinema utilises his worth in a wide variety of roles and not slot him in a box

Ananda Chakrapani

Every actor in Telugu cinema comes with his/her unique set of strengths and a commercial success validates their worth all the more. However, with success also comes the danger of being stereotyped in the same space for long. The industry more often than not forgets the fact that creative inspiration is the key to good performances.

We’re discussing this more so in terms of the career of the Mallesham find Ananda Chakrapani. The ad/documentary filmmaker, who has worked in various capacities in the film industry for many decades, got his major acting break with Raj Rachakonda’s Mallesham, where he was cast as the titular character’s father.

So effective was Ananda Chakrapani’s performance that he became the first choice of most filmmakers to play father to protagonists in no time. The quality of films speaks for themselves - Vakeel Saab, Love Story, World Famous Lover and Naandhi, to name a few. Needless to say, the actor gave everything to do justice to his roles.

However, in between these mainstream films, one needs to take note of the fact that he did projects like Anaganaga O Athidhi and the web show Unheard, where he proved that there’s more to him beyond being a fatherly figure on the screen. If Anaganaga O Athidhi showcased how he can pull off a role with grey shades with ease, Unheard gave an avenue to tap into the composed, subtle performer in him.

Time and again across his media interactions, the actor has expressed his desire to move beyond the conventional roles being offered to him and push the bar. Of course, he can always play the father-figure characters without batting an eyelid, but filmmakers must give that part a distinct identity and a graph too.

Ananda Chakrapani is hungrier than ever to explore various characters and the industry needs to utilise this to its advantage.

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