Naga Chaitanya steps into Bubba’s shoes as Balaraju for ‘Lal Singh Chaddha’

Actor Naga Chaitanya opens up on what it means to work with Aamir Khan in his Hindi debut ‘Lal Singh Chaddha’ and how he handles the debacle of ‘Thank You’

“You do not plan to work in an Aamir Khan film; it has to happen,” actor Naga Chaitanya had told this writer during an interview on the sidelines of his 2021 Telugu film Love Story. As his debut Hindi film Lal Singh Chaddha, headlined by Aamir Khan and directed by Advait Chandan, gears up for theatrical release on August 11, Chaitanya reiterates that some of his best films were not pre-meditated, be it his debut film Ye Maya Chesave, the Premam Telugu remake or Majili: “When I am recognised and get to work with filmmakers whose work I have grown up watching or whose work inspires me, it fills me with a lot of confidence. In the case of Lal Singh Chaddha, I was sceptical about venturing into Hindi cinema. My language is not perfect and there is already a lot of talent out there; I kept thinking how will I be accepted. I play a South Indian boy in a North Indian setting. That gave me the confidence to take that leap of faith.” 

Lal Singh Chaddha is an adaptation of Forrest Gump; actor-screenwriter Atul Kulkarni had written the screenplay 14 years ago. During his recent visit to Hyderabad, Aamir Khan revealed that it took the team eight to 10 years to get the adaptation rights. Naga Chaitanya steps into the shoes of Bubba or Benjamin Buford Blue (played by Mykelti Williamson in the English film) who befriends Gump in the Army and dreams of starting a shrimp business back home: “I joined the Lal Singh Chaddha team when nearly 75% of the film was in place. When they called me, the friend’s character was defined as a South Indian. Depending on whether a Tamil or a Telugu actor enacts it, they planned to work on details such as his roots.” 

Chaitanya’s character named Balaraju Bodi hails from Bodipalayam in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh and meets Lal Singh during the Kargil war: “I found it beautiful that my character has some South Indian flavour in a North Indian setting. Unlike someone who grows up in the North, some South Indians might speak Hindi a little differently. They let me keep my inherent accent and the character occasionally slips into Telugu.”

The actor had watched Forrest Gump as a child and remembers his mother listening to the soundtrack often. Chaitanya says, “The album cover was the iconic image of Tom Hanks seated on the bench, looking sideways.” He revisited the film after he got a call from Aamir’s office: “They weren’t sure if I would agree to play a brief part. Rewatching the film made me say yes. Balaraju might be on screen for 20 to 30 minutes but emotionally he influences a large part of Lal’s journey.”

Starting on a blank canvas in Hindi cinema, 12 years after his debut in Telugu, is something Chaitanya was game for: “When I look back at my work, there are times when I am embarrassed; that is how I have grown as an actor. I have had successes and failures and they have taught me immensely. This film will give me tremendous exposure and I am happy to present myself to a larger audience at this stage of my career.”

However, there was initial nervousness. He received a copy of the script six months ahead of filming. The pre-production workshops and conversations with Advait, Aamir and others helped him shed inhibitions and be clear about his character: “On set, I did not have to worry about getting my lines right. It flowed easily. We had discussed everything including costumes to locations and specific scene breakdowns.”

Each day, they would take stock of the day’s footage, which Chaitanya says is rare in most film units. “Normally directors would not show us the footage till the film is over. But watching the day’s footage helped me observe where I needed to improve and the following day would be better.” Given a chance, he would love to work with such precision and planning for his future films.