DJ Tillu has the soul of Deccan cinema, says Siddhu Jonnalagadda
The wackiness that comes out when drunk. They might seem eccentric, but they're sweet and genuine people. Chatting in cafes, sipping the early morning tea. One wants to be a youth leader.
Hyderabad: As a boy Siddu, Jonnalagadda grew up watching people around him in the bylanes of Malkajgiri and Anandbagh where he got to spend most of his childhood.
“The wackiness that comes out when drunk. They might seem eccentric, but they’re sweet and genuine people. Chatting in cafes, sipping the early morning tea. One wants to be a youth leader, another seriously dabbles with real estate, one is a mentor to others, the list goes endless. They carry a bag of craziness. But then there’s a slight change in DJing and club life in the Secunderabad area from the days I grew to now. Many characters are born out of these experiences,” the actor adds.
‘DJ Tillu’ is releasing worldwide in theatres this Friday. The film first had a title ‘Narudi Brathuku Natana’. “By the time I tell the title, half of the audience would leave,” laughs Siddu adding that he wanted to make it crisp without making much drama. The actor has co-written the script with his friend Vimal Krishna after prodding on single oneliner. Having been exposed to other languages in central school, Siddhu says he has better knowledge on language and slang to use them in the right way to generate fun. “There is a proper Telangana flavour in DJ Tillu. When the character gets into an extreme zone, he even speaks Warangal slang. I had friends who speak a different slang and that got into me,” he says.
The character Tillu is a local DJ who lives in a false world, says Siddhu. “He claims to be a great DJ but all he does is to play for some local events to earn a few bucks. He hangs out with a bunch of friends who elevate him to a different level and paint a glory around him. He throws parties to stay in their good books and that’s all. He is least worried about his career and becomes a victim of his creation. In a scene from the trailer, he compares himself with celebrities. He hails from a middle-class family so despite knowing the fashion trends in Australia, he can’t afford to revamp his wardrobe. He develops a lot of inferiority complex, and the drama unfolds accordingly,” he adds.
The actor says the film is a well-packaged product, “Just like an old wine in a new bottle. It has the soul of Deccan cinema and is wrapped in fine colours,” he says adding that Tillu has no limitations and he may come up with a sequel too if things work well.
Explaining how acting has always been his forte, Siddhu admits that he became a writer out of desperation. “Writing didn’t happen to me by choice. I am an actor who can slip into the shoes of a writer when needed. I am not part of the writing team for the next projects that are lined up for Sithara Entertainments,” he explains.
