Nani on Dasara: I’ve always presented myself as the guy-next-door, who can rise up to the occasion

When the first look, teaser and then trailer of Dasara came out, one thing that was abundantly clear was that the film would be his most raw and commercial movie to date. The actor, though, is best known for his portrayal of boy-next-door kind of roles that made him relatable to common folk, earning him the sobriquet, Natural Star. Dasara seemed like a far cry from his well-established image, one that his audiences loved and supported. Nani, though, begs to differ. Speaking to OTTplay about his role in the film as Dharani, a ruffian who steals coal, Nani said, “I have always presented myself as a guy who is one of the masses, but one who can also rise up to the occasion. Dharani is also one such guy; it’s just that the rising up might happen quite dramatically in Dasara,” he said.

Elaborating on the film, Nani said that it centres on a personal story, which influences a lot of bigger things. “At the end of the day, Dasara is a story of good winning over evil. That is what is celebrated on Dasara day. In a broad stroke, that is what our film is about too,” he added. As for the casting of Dia fame Dheekshith Shetty as his buddy Suri in the film, Nani explained that it was not to ensure that Dasara boasted actors from every industry they were targeting as potential markets. “We cast actors who were absolutely apt for the roles. In Dheekshith’s case, we wanted a fresh face to play the character, Suri. But, more importantly, we needed audiences to remember him as Suri and not Dheekshith. We did not want an actor who comes with an existing image. Every decision we took for Dasara was not in trying to make it bi-lingual or pan-Indian. We got actors for that one Telugu movie that we were making because we wanted to make a great film,” said Nani.