Kannada superstar Kiccha Sudeep reckons he has a few more years in him as a leading man, but that does not mean he will stay away from cinema
Kiccha Sudeep does not see himself playing lead hero much longer
Last Updated: 12.54 PM, Jan 12, 2025
Kannada superstar Kiccha Sudeep is only in his early 50s and yet, the actor has, time and again, broached the subject of retiring from cinema, as a leading man. This even though there are heroes across industries who are far older than him. After 28 years and 46 films, Sudeep is clear about the trajectory his career will take in the foreseeable future.
In a podcast for Raghavendra Chitravani, Sudeep, who is currently in the midst of preparing for the 11th season of the celebrity Cricket League with his team, the Karnataka Bulldozers, discussed his impending retirement. “I will never get tired, but I may retire,” he says, adding, “Every hero becomes a bore in the end. Each one has a shelf life as a leading man. Actors like me are not suited to play character roles, like an older or younger brother, uncle, etc., and I wouldn’t want to do it also. As a hero, I have never made anyone wait on my set; tomorrow, if I were to do a supporting role, I would not want to sit around and wait for someone else. By the time one is ready to bid adieu, it is imperative to find something else to do in life,” he says, matter of fact.
During the promotions of Max, Sudeep had said that he looks at himself as a lead actor for another couple of years, perhaps. That, he reckons, gives him an approximate idea of how many more films he is left with. “In the next 18 months, perhaps, I can do 2 more films. When it comes to the question of how many more films I want to see myself as a hero in, I see myself doing, maybe, a handful, and within that, there are things that I want to do as an actor, see myself exploring certain genres, etc. I am looking at redefining myself as an actor and there’s a hunt for something different, which I am also not entirely clear. This is why I end up rejecting more films than those I accept and the ones I give up on are not bad; it’s about what I want to do at this point of time,” he had said.
This, of course, does not mean that Sudeep will distance himself entirely from cinema. Films are very dear to him, he says. “I can always turn to direction or production, so, I will not give up on films. I will only take myself out of the equation as a lead hero. In fact, even now, I am not attached to the concept of only being the protagonist in a film, which is why I was seen in movies like Sye Raa Narasimhareddy or Dabangg 3, for instance. I am not stuck on the hero image,” he signs off.