The 'fun'tastic hero

Balakrishna, who completed 50 years in Tollywood, on casting Bobby Deol in his upcoming film, his dream role and controversies surrounding fan interactions

- RAHUL DEVULAPALLI

At the Ramoji Film City, the line between reality and cinema blurs. After all, RFC has served as the backdrop for blockbuster films like RRR, Baahubali, and many others.

In one corner of the sprawling complex, under the shade of a tree, Telugu actor Nandamuri Balakrishna, 64, relaxes in a plastic chair. He greets a crew member with a casual “How are you?” Later, he high-fives a young visitor, and then playfully chides a mother and her child: “He doesn’t care about me. He thinks he is the star.”

Between shots, Balakrishna lightens the mood by asking a crew member to read out his horoscope, with a mock warning: “It better be good.” Balakrishna says he does not like it when the set is dull or boring. “I try to infuse life and energy to those around me,” he says. On the day I met Balakrishna, his energy and enthusiasm were palpable. He had begun his day at 2:45am. After an hour of cardio and a shower, he performed his daily puja before arriving on set to shoot an ad.

Recently, Balakrishna completed 50 years in the Telugu film industry. Having acted in 108 films over the years, Balakrishna’s passion for cinema remains infectious. His career began under the tutelage of his father, the legendary actor N.T. Rama Rao, who directed, produced, and starred in Tatamma Kala that released in 1974. Balakrishna, fondly known as Balaiah in Tollywood, made his debut as a bespectacled teenager in the black-and-white film.