Ram Charan Teja Interview: ‘My dad is my hero’

Ram Charan Tej Konidela isn’t fazed by being Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi’s son, he tells one of the leading english news paper in the run-up to his debut

Being the son of Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi is just one of the responsibilities he must shoulder. Now Charan has another huge task ahead. “I’ll be debuting this January and there’s bound to be a lot of expectation. But I know I’m capable of carving a niche for myself,” says Charan.

He says he doesn’t take the Chiranjeevi tag for granted and has been preparing for his debut for two years now. “Grooming is very important and I’ve been making the best use of my time so far,” says the 22-yearold, whose preparations included an acting course with Kishore Amit in Mumbai, and dancing and fitness training at home in Hyderabad. “Nowadays you’ll either find me in the gym or sitting for script discussions with dad and and my director,” says Charan.

Chiranjeevi, meanwhile, is playing the devoted dad to perfection. “He’s decided not to make any films till I debut — he wants to concentrate on my career for now,” says the proud son.

And no, being a superstar’s son doesn’t make things easier, says this youngster. “Dad is very disciplined and keeps advising me. One thing he’s always told us is not to get carried away by all the glamour. ‘Work towards being accepted in society as a normal guy, that’s when you’ve made it,’ is his mantra,” says Charan.

So did he always want to become an actor, or was it just the done thing considering his family background? “It’s an influence that later turned into a passion. Ever since I turned 15, I’ve wanted to become a hero,” he says.

And now that Cherry (as he’s called by his dad) is definitely on his way there, he likes to draw inspiration from the numerous movies he watches every day. “I watch all kind of movies in all languages. There’s a lot to learn in there and with each movie learn and unlearn,” says Charan. His list of favourite actors though is short. “My dad’s my hero and other than that there aren’t too many I’m crazy about. But I like Brad Pitt’s style,” he says. It’s also Charan’s dream to be like his dad, “I really wish I can appeal to half as many people as he does,” he adds.

Right now, he’s confident he’ll make a big splash with his debut. “If you can fly down Jessica Alba, I’d like to debut with her!” says Charan.