Vennela Kishore: I have no goals, I am happy with good food and cinema

Interview: Vennela Kishore discusses his Telugu film Chaari 111, says he is happy as a comedy actor than a protagonist. He also reflects on his career, bond with co-stars Brahmanandam and Sathya and friends Adivi Sesh, Rahul Ravindran and Sujeeth

Vennela Kishore asks if he can take a rain check when requested for an interview. He is playing the lead in Chaari 111, a Telugu comedy espionage drama releasing in theatres on March 1. The reluctance does not come from a space of acting pricey but from a resolve of not wanting to “brag about a film”. “I am hesitant to go to town and say we have done a fantastic job. That is for the audience to decide,” he says, when he relents for this interview a day later.

In his 19-year-old career, since his debut in director Deva Katta’s film Vennela, Kishore mostly steered clear of playing the protagonist. “There were a couple of films in which I played the lead, for instance, Athadu Aame o Scooter… But I was not comfortable as a protagonist.” He acknowledges that of late, comedians are being offered lead roles but says he is happy not taking on the onus. “I have no goals; I am happy with good food, working in and watching good films. On days that I get to work with Brahmanandam garu or Sathya, I am the happiest.”

Then what made him take on Chaari 111? TG Keerthi Kumar, who had debuted as a director with the Sumanth-starrer Malli Modalaindi, approached Vennela Kishore with a script that, in its barebones, was a no-nonsense action espionage drama. But imagine a comedian in place of a serious spy. It triggers a series of events. “At first, I refused to accept the film and told the director that I could play the (supporting) part he had assigned to Sathya,” Kishore recalls. As a fanboy of Kishore, Keerthi Kumar asserted that he would shelve the project. “These discussions went on for two months. His wife, Aditi, the producer of the film, convinced me. She has a knack for presenting things in such a manner that it is tough to say no.” 

He reveals that initially, the film was planned to be a direct digital release. “If I accept a lead role, I will need to schedule time for promotions, which is tough since I have several films lined up as a comedian. Since a digital release would require minimal promotions, I agreed.” Things took a turn when digital platforms realigned their business models, warranting most Telugu films to explore a theatrical release.

In Chaari 111, Kishore is a spy for an agency named Rudranetra (as a nod to the Chiranjeevi film), headed by Murali Sharma. There are larger plans to develop it into a spy universe, after gauging the reception. “Imagine Adivi Sesh making a brief, serious appearance in my film or me doing a fun cameo as Chaari in his film. There are interesting possibilities,” says Kishore.

Talking of Sesh, it was in his films Kshanam and Goodacharithat Kishore played negative roles. While the unexpected turns worked for those films, Kishore later refrained from playing negative roles. “I do not mean to brag but when people see a comedy actor on screen, they laugh even in the first scene. For my death scene in Goodachari, we filmed a close-up with the camera slowly zooming in on my face. The assistant directors watching the scene through the monitor were laughing, so we removed it. In Manmadhudu 2, I had to make an entry between an emotionally charged scene involving Rakul Preet Singh and her family members and Nagarjuna sir, since I was supposed to arrive late after parking the car. I thought it would be counterproductive. When the scene was being filmed, (director) Rahul Ravindran and everyone felt it would not work, and I stayed out.”

In Chaari 111, Kishore did not have to do heavy action scenes. The film is a nod to Johnny English and the Pink Panther series. “I get caught in tricky situations and the heroine (Samyuktha Viswanathan) saves me.”