Shiva Kandukuri believes in experimentation
Hyderabad: Post the success of his debut flick ‘Chusi Chudangane’, actor Shiva Kandukuri has been longing for his next release ‘Gamanam’, a sports drama. The actor plays the character Ali, an aspiring cricketer, who has many dreams and aspirations to achieve. “‘Gamanam’ has three stories which run on a parallel theme. However, all three have […]
Hyderabad: Post the success of his debut flick ‘Chusi Chudangane’, actor Shiva Kandukuri has been longing for his next release ‘Gamanam’, a sports drama. The actor plays the character Ali, an aspiring cricketer, who has many dreams and aspirations to achieve.
“‘Gamanam’ has three stories which run on a parallel theme. However, all three have a link to make it wholesome. Ali has his own flaws in the process of achieving his dream. The major highlight of the character is that he has a close bonding with his grandfather, played by south actor Charu Haasan,” he says.
Elaborating on his role, the actor says, “Playing a Muslim youngster Ali and, at the same time, acting as a cricketer on-screen are completely different from each other. I had to take two months of cricket coaching under a sports choreographer. Although the story is about the game of cricket and ordeals faced by Ali, the emotion added to the character is what makes ‘Gamanam’ unique.”
Like his debut ‘Chusi Chudangane’ in which he worked with a female director, Shiva has now worked with another female director, Sujana Rao. “I happened to hear the script of ‘Gamanam’ by Sujana through a common friend. The story has something special because it has conflict, sports and romantic tracks as well. To make it more authentic and rooted, I observed the Muslim families and their traditions. Initially, I wasn’t sure whether I could play a Muslim guy. After the look test, somehow it looked genuine. I gained some confidence that I could pull off the character after a series of auditions,” he shares.
Shiva says that it is a blessing for him to share the screen with senior actor Charu Haasan. “For a young actor like me, it’s a blessing to learn from the nonagenarian. His dedication to the craft, punctuality on the sets, and the natural emotions that he would bring in on his face — they’re a treat to watch and learn. Another blessing is to have Illayaraja sir’s music rendition for the project. Sai Madav Burra is another major backbone for the movie because of the dialogues,” the actor adds.
Shiva wants to carve a space of his own, yet wants to enjoy the backing from his producer father Raj Kandukuri. “We both have a healthy discussion when it comes to film scripts. I think as an actor I want to experiment as much as possible. Just because a movie has become a hit, the next film on the same lines might not work. Many factors depend on a film to see success at the box office. I think it might work if we recreate the same thing over and again.”
Shiva’s other projects in the pipeline include an upcoming film ‘Manu Charitra’ — a very raw story; ‘Meet Cute’ — a web series under Natural Star Nani’s home banner; and an untitled crime thriller in which he plays a police officer.
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