Naveen Chandra: I will cherish the ‘Month of Madhu’ experience all my life

Naveen Chandra interview: Basking in the warm reception to his work in director Srikanth Nagothi’s Telugu film ‘Month of Madhu’ co-starring Swathi Reddy, actor Naveen Chandra opens up on childhood memories that helped him play the part. Naveen will also be seen in Karthik Subbaraj’s Jigathanda DoubleX and Shankar’s Game Changer headlined by Ram Charan

“I might work on bigger projects in future, but Month of Madhu has been a satisfying experience that I will remember all my life,” says actor Naveen Chandra, during an hour-long conversation. The Telugu film, written and directed by Srikanth Nagothi, has him portraying 42-year-old Madhusudhan Rao who has taken to alcohol as an escape and is locked in a court battle with his wife Lekha, portrayed by Swathi Reddy. The film with an indie-spirited heart has fetched the actors a warm response and Naveen is savouring every bit of it.

Month of Madhu is his first theatrical release in five years, Naveen points out. His presence in the web series Parampara and films such as Ammu, which had a direct OTT release, ensured that the audience did not miss him. He has been working on a handful of projects in the last two years, the details of some of which are under wraps. Naveen is also a part of Karthik Subbaraj’s Jigarthanda DoubleX and Shankar’s Game Changer, headlined by Ram Charan. “I am growing as an actor in this phase of my career,” he says.

The recognition for his recent work is significant when we look at his chequered career. Since his debut in the mid-2000s, Naveen has been through the vagaries of the film industry. He was lauded for his work in Andala Rakshasi and those around him advised him to choose films that would help him establish himself as a hero. “None of those films worked,” Naveen reflects.

He remembers how it took a toll on his confidence and offers dried up. “I had to support my family financially, and this was a low phase. One day I approached Raja Ravindra (his current manager) and sought his help to get work.” An opportunity came in the form of director Trivikram Srinivas’ Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava. The thriller Evaru followed. 

Both these films marked a turnaround. “I witnessed first hand the aesthetics with which a big film like Aravinda Sametha… is planned. I learnt a lot from director Ramji and Adivi Sesh who worked on minute details during Evaru. I began focussing on growing as an actor and stopped caring about being a hero.” 

Offers began trickling in from both Telugu and Tamil. Born to Tamilian parents in Secunderabad and growing up in Bellary, Karnataka, Naveen is fluent in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, Hindi, Marathi and understands Bengali. This makes it easy for him to dub for a film in other languages in two or three days.

Discussing Month of Madhu, in which he portrays a toxic male character, Naveen says he dipped into his childhood memories to play the role. His father was a head mechanic for KSRTC (Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation) and took to alcohol after his punishing work hours. “We lived in a residential area in Bellary and he would send me to a wine shop. Seeing the men there, I thought this was normal. Only when I grew up and observed my friends did I realise the importance of being empathetic to women. So when Srikanth narrated the story, I felt I knew Madhu and was game to portray him.”