Venkatesh Maha: An acting aspirant, an accidental director

Ahead of the Telugu anthology ‘Anger Tales’, Venkatesh Maha opens up on his acting tryst

Anger Tales, the Telugu anthology that will stream on Disney+ Hotstar on March 9, stars two directors-turned-actors — Venkatesh Maha and Tharun Bhascker. The anthology directed by Prabhala Tilak, who co-wrote the series with Karthikeya Karedla, will present four stories bound by the theme of rebellion. While Tharun has made his presence felt as an actor and television host, Venkatesh Maha was seen in brief roles until director Vivek Athreya cast him as Nazriya Fahadh’s character’s suitor in Ante Sundaraniki. “Till date, a lot of people are angry with my character, Joseph, and express it on social media. Joseph is the perfect guy in the imperfect world of Ante Sundaraniki that is filled with flawed characters, so he is hated,” says Maha, at his office in Hyderabad.

Maha’s debut film as a writer and director, Care of Kancharapalem, followed by Uma Maheshwara Ugra Roopasya (UMUR), the Telugu adaptation of the Malayalam film Maheshinte Prathikaram, established him as a director with immense potential. But few know that Maha had initially set out to Hyderabad from his hometown, Vijayawada, to become an actor.

“I had an innate interest in storytelling and I used to write lyrics as well. But I wanted to be an actor. I used to attend several auditions; my acting skills would be appreciated but I would never land a significant role,” Maha recalls.

As an outsider slugging it out in the Krishna Nagar locality of Hyderabad, which is the hub for movie aspirants, he says it was a tall order to audition for big production houses. “I think the casting process is still disorganised and can do with some streamlining. Some wonderful aspiring actors who may not like going from one studio to another with portfolios usually give up on their aspirations soon.”

He states wryly that an acting aspirant is expected to have a portfolio of good images, and appear groomed and fit while not earning much. “You have to look good for people to notice you, but how do you do that without earning?”

Maha took up odd jobs, from being a junior artiste to working as a spot boy. At a short film contest, he went ahead and narrated a story. His story was selected, and Radhika Lavu who was an executive producer for the project, asked him to direct it. He also acted in a small role in that short Telugu comedy Vedhava Mohamatam. Destiny, he says, made him a director.

Maha did a blink-and-miss cameo in Care of Kancharapalem and in UMUR, when a junior artiste didn’t turn up; he stepped in because “the size of the clothes fit me, and I wanted to get the job done.”