Shiva Kandukuri: I may not have done justice to Manu Charitra if I were a debutant | Exclusive

Shiva Kandukuri, the grandson of spiritual guru Sivananda Murthy and the son of entrepreneur, filmmaker Raj Kandukuri, has an interesting lineage bearing a mix of spiritual rootedness, business acumen and creative expression. Despite his privileges, the Gamanam, Meet Cute actor is aware that he needs to hold his own to make a mark in films.

His emotional balance while dealing with success and failure can be traced back to his ancestry. The young actor has rare qualities for an industry insider - he’s equally detached, enthusiastic, individualistic. After playing a series of urban characters in his three outings an actor, he tries to woo audiences with the navarasas of commercial cinema with this week’s release Manu Charitra.

Excerpts from a chat with OTTplay.com.

How challenging is it to take a small/medium budget film for audiences and convince them to buy a ticket? Is a film’s opening largely dependent on the trailer, teaser?

It’s definitely a challenge. The big film already has the attention the day it is announced. It is easy for them to market it and it’s not necessary to go overboard. For a small film, it’s a huge challenge to generate interest. It’s a must for the songs, trailer and the teaser to pique the curiosity of audiences. For smaller films, the promotions we do mostly helps us fill up the seats for the early shows in the Telugu states but the reception is decided by how the audiences respond to the content.

Word of mouth has become the most powerful tool in marketing a film these days. Films like Masooda, Balagam opened with modest numbers but kept getting bigger by the day with word of mouth. There weren’t extravagant publicity campaigns - they ensured good trailers, songs - but the way the viewer celebrated these films made them gamechangers. We’ve seen huge films whose collections dropped drastically after the noon show. Audiences are the most powerful tool we have.

Like how it worked in favour of Mem Famous, Writer Padmabhushan and Major, do you think pre-release previews are a better strategy to spread the word?

As an actor in the film, you’re always attached to the product and believe it’ll work because it’s the script and the emotion in it that makes you say a yes. We tend to love it no matter what, like your own baby. We believe it’s a good film and may host premieres but it can prove counterproductive. There’s every chance that negativity can arise from such a strategy. When you organise a premiere a week before a film, there’s equal chance for bad publicity as much as positive buzz. However, it can also be the best display of the confidence you have in a film. They can be a strong promotional tool provided the content works in your favour.

In the case of Manu Charitra, how do you sustain the consistency in a character, stay within its zone and keep your motivation intact after so many production delays?

I heard the script in 2020 right before the lockdown was announced. We completed 5-6 days of shoot when COVID-19 struck us and we couldn’t shoot for four and a half months. While we resumed shoot in August 2020, there were delays owing to factors beyond our control. I shot for Meet Cute in between and commenced work on Bhoothaddam Bhaskar Narayana too.

A script like Manu Charitra is very hard to find for an upcoming actor. I play Manu Durgaraj and the title represents the journey of the character over 7-8 years. It was more of a bucket-list film for me - I got to do action, intense emotions, romance, the song-dance routine and I had conviction in the script. The atmosphere was such that whenever I was on set, I was motivated to work.

Major credit of this goes to the director Bharath Peddagani - he gave me a three and a half hour narration without a book or paper. He had the camera angles planned during the scripting stage and his presence was a major motivational factor. We had discussions two days before every schedule and I was always blown away witnessing his passion for the script.

As someone who has largely played sedate, urban characters to date, what was it like to unleash the inner beast in you for Manu Charitra?

I wouldn’t say I have it in me but when I have a bad temper, I burst out my anger completely and I return to normalcy quickly. The way certain situations in the film were visualised, astonished me. During the narration, I could never predict what was to happen in the next sequence and I was thoroughly surprised. It is a regular commercial film; it’s a story we might have seen earlier but the way Bharath has packaged, ideated a few sequences blew me away. A large part of the credit goes to how every single element in the story was designed.

What does it take to make a commercial film that appeals to a wide audience of different tastes and age groups?

For a commercial film, more than telling a new story or making them cry or laugh, audiences expect to be entertained. They don’t look for a particular element in a story and as long as you can keep them invested for two hours, they won’t have complaints. Even with Balagam or Masooda, they’re not your mainstream commercial fares but they came with an out of the box treatment. The audiences came with an open mind and went back entertained.

As a commercial actor, you’re expected to do a bit of everything but I’m slowly trying to break away from the barrier. Before Manu Charitra, every commercial script I heard was too generic/slapstick and the emotions, character arcs were forced based on a template. Manu Charitra has all those elements to please a viewer but there’s no intention to subscribe to a pattern or fit into a template. The character arc was so organic and I latched onto it.

Manu Charitra is a film that someone would’ve ideally picked for their debut, going by its commercial appeal.

Had I chosen Manu Charitra as my first film, I probably wouldn’t have been able to do justice to the character as much as I’ve done now. To do a film like this, you need to have hands-on experience and you get better with every project. The interactions with the people you meet and the experiences during the making process shape you as an actor and an individual.

I consciously didn’t choose a regular masala film for my debut because I was aware of being an industry kid. I didn’t want people to presume that I was doing a commercial film because my dad had the money. I wanted people to notice the actor in me and not my background. Gamanam helped me gain a lot of respect as an actor and people appreciated for doing something different when I had other commercially workable alternatives.

One feels you would’ve been just like your nerdy, geeky youngster in Meet Cute if you hadn’t entered films. Did the performance come from a personal space?

A lot of elements in Meet Cute stemmed from my personal life. If not for films, I’d been happy doing my energy engineering job back in the US. I am someone who always enjoys my personal space and the last few years where I’ve lived by myself has changed me as an individual. I do have friends, a social circle but I enjoy my private space more than anything else. It probably helped me explore my character in the show better.

As an actor, how do you strike a balance between putting yourself out there on social media, doing the regular PR activity and still leading a private life?

The film should speak for itself is something I truly believe in. Putting yourself out there, getting noticed is necessary as per the changing needs of the industry. I’d try to limit it to an extent that it doesn’t affect/overtake me as an individual. I have a very clear distinction between my work life and professional life. Even if the film goes onto be the biggest blockbuster, I won’t let the success go to my head and I don’t think I’ll be extremely dejected if something doesn’t do well either. I’m going to look at the brighter side and do a better film in the future. I don’t let success or failure decide my script selection. As an actor, I truly enjoy my craft regardless of the script or the genre.

How do you deal with days where nothing works in your favour?

Travel is the biggest therapy and I enjoy going out with a bunch of friends, even though I have a limited circle. All of us are travel enthusiasts who enjoy driving to different places. At the end of the day, it’s a choice that I’ve decided to be here. I’m in a field where people judge you on a daily basis, both professionally and personally. I was aware of the ways of the industry and I came prepared for it. They affect you at some point but you can’t blame the people - the industry works this way and you came here knowingly.

How was it to discover Warangal through the eyes of your director Bharath Peddagani?

My hometown is Warangal too and my grandfather spent a major part of his life there. I was very much in the place during my summer holidays, spending time with grandpa and the people who come to meet him. However, I haven’t gone there much in the recent years. Thanks to the advent of technology and industrial development, Warangal is more urbanised today and there’s very little to differentiate the locals from Hyderabadis.

Bharath, being a Warangal native, utilised all his personal experiences to nurture the script of Manu Charitra. I even got to meet real life characters who inspired the story and during our interactions, I realised the importance they give to interpersonal relationships. Even if the town has changed, the honesty in the people hasn’t.

In eccentric situations, like in Manu Charitra where Manu falls in love with multiple women and parts ways with them almost immediately, how do you relate with a character’s unusual behaviour?

That’s when a part of your imagination should come into play. Love is a common emotion for all of us and many of us experience heartbreaks though it needn’t be about a girl always. Whenever I deal with an eccentric situation as an actor, though I may not instantly relate to it, I must have experienced the core emotion in it at some point in my life and I draw that reference for the portrayal.

Any reason behind not collaborating with your father after Choosi Choodangane? Won’t production ensure you better creative control over a product?

I wasn’t intentional about not collaborating with my father post Choosi Choodangaane. Right after my debut, I happened to sign Gamanam and Manu Charitra and I later went to listen to the scripts of Meet Cute and Bhoothaddam Bhaskar Narayana. The scripts kept pushing me forward and I felt it was sensible not to let go of these opportunities.

My dad told me that he needn’t necessarily produce films for me just because had a banner. His intent is to launch new, promising talent, regardless of my presence in the project. We’re collaborating on a project we’re extremely excited about and it may take off in the coming months. He is neutral about his reviews on my films, performances and is aware that some of his views may be biased because I’m his son. He genuinely feels I’ve matured as a performer with every project and has constantly asked me to get better with whatever I do.