Actor Chaitanya Rao speaks on his web series ‘30 Weds 21’

The Telugu web series that was released on YouTube spread like a wildfire.

Hyderabad: ‘New star on the block’ would slightly be an exaggeration to define actor Chaitanya Rao. But his recent work ‘30 Weds 21’ has summed it up all. The Telugu web series that was released on YouTube spread like a wildfire. With funny memes based on the characters, it has become a much talked-about web series on social media.

Surprisingly impressive as a fresh breeze that came as succour to audiences in the lockdown, the web series is being lauded for its comedy and different perspective of married couple who struggle with a massive generation gap. With a staggering number of views on YouTube, ‘30 Weds 21’ starring Ananya and Chaitanya in the lead, stood as one of the most entertaining stories during the pandemic.

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Having spent seven years in the industry, actor Chaintanya, who has now started getting his share of stardom, says the journey has not been a bed of roses after he quit a lucrative IT career in Australia and returned to find his true calling is in cinema. Amidst hope of uncertainty, he waded through rough patches to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The Karimnagar-born actor first made his debut with ‘Bandook’, a 2015 film depicting the Telangana agitation. After much toil, Chaitanya found a break with the latest web series.

“The applause is humongous now. But a year ago, it was an altogether different scenario. I went into depression, lost hope, and I was very much dishevelled because I was not getting a break. Many of my friends, who started their career, have made it big. After my debut, we shot our next movie ‘Hawaa’ which was not well-received. I call it a promotional failure. Since we had no money, we couldn’t promote it well. Another movie in the backdrop of Kasi was halted for some reasons. Lockdown made my life miserable. I was in two minds whether to go back to Australia and resume my professional career,” says the actor who hails from an agrarian family in Karimnagar.

Firm footing

Chaitanya says he drew inspiration from Venkatesh Daggubati. “Venkatesh garu’s characters in ‘Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule’ and his expressions helped me get into the skin of the character. Venkatesh garu has a great influence on me. Also, Fahadh Faasil and Satyadev are two actors I admire a lot,” he says.

The actor says he now has a firm footing and he would choose projects while experimenting with various genres. “I felt I could crack the middle-class segment, I want to conquer that space where actor Venkatesh did it in wooing audiences. Because the love and admiration for the character Pruthvi in the web series has been amazing,” he adds.

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