“When Chiranjeevi gaaru heard it, he told me to jump into it right away and because it's my first story and I wanted this to happen through his hand.” – Vaisshnav Tej

Tollywood just got its rising star and it is none other than megastar Chiranjeevi’s nephew Panja Vaisshnav Tej. He is extremely charming, good-looking and passionate about his craft. Nikita Nikhil talks to the gorgeous Panja Vaisshnav Tej to know more about his new film Uppena, his experience on the set and much more…

- Nikita Nikhil

The trailer looks amazing. Could you say more about your film Uppena?

It’s a very pure love story. It’s high on emotions and has its own commercial elements with a bit of comedy and romance. It has everything in it. I guess every age group will connect to it and it’s going to be a good film.

Keerthi Shetty is playing the lead role opposite you in Uppena. How was it working with her?

It’s wonderful actually. She is such a great co-artist and co-actor. She is very hardworking. And she is always in that mood like if there is an emotional scene, she is in that mood throughout the day. She learnt the language in a week and that’s mesmerizing actually. She wants to learn the language better so that she can speak it more fluently. Besides that, she’s a very good actor.

Your film has an amazing star cast with Vijay Sethupathi playing the antagonist. This happens to be your debut film. How did you feel working with them?

I’m actually very lucky that Vijay Sethupathi sir is playing a role in the film which is so powerful. I had never even dreamt of acting beside him or even meeting him. It was quite surreal that I was acting with him. And I learnt a lot of tips from him. You know, meeting him off-screen, he is such a nice person. So I was very fortunate. And not only him, I have acted with Sai Chand gaaru and other character artists, and it’s all very surreal and I’m thankful.

What tips did Vijay Sethupathi sir give you?