In the Shadow of Stars
Having grown up all along in the shadow of a family of stars, it was rather awe-inspiring to actually be able to walk with them at the audio launch of my debut film ‘Leader‘.
It was a motivating moment for me to see everyone, to be able to share my first audio release function with icons of the industry.
Mickey is a gifted young music director while Mr. Veturi has an amazing ability of putting inexpressible feelings into plain words – a virtuoso combination of music and lyrics for ‘Leader’. Sekhar’s intense drive towards patriotism resulted in a remarkable experience of working on our very own official state anthem ‘Maa Telugu Talliki’, a great patriotic melody.
The audio release became an extremely ‘family’ occasion for me as I was surrounded by my film families, friends and well-wishers. The whole affair turned out to be extremely emotional when hundreds of Venkatesh’s fans arrived; including elderly people who came just to have a glimpse of me. There were people who came all the way from places as far as Sholapur just to offer their support. I was touched by the intensity of the blessings from all these people.
Having grown up with Charan, I was always considered part of Mr. Chiranjeevi’s family and moreover, the knowledge that he imparted to Charan was always passed on to me as well. I missed Chaitanya’s presence at the event, however, Nagarjuna’s good wishes and blessings rather compensated for his missing presence. It was also particularly entertaining to see my pal Bunny so heartily share the limelight with me this time.
Even though Mr.Chiranjeevi arrived late, he politely waited for me to finish talking in order to avoid a media stir, an incredibly moving gesture on his part. Mr. Chiranjeevi and Mr.Nagarjuna wholeheartedly shared their blessings and wishes for me and I began to understand and appreciate the sheer size of the responsibility that comes with becoming an actor. It is a tough test to live up to the standard, success and achievement that these personalities have brought to Indian cinema.
The immeasurable amount of knowledge imparted to me by my grandfather, D. Ramanaidu, D. Suresh Babu and Venkatesh, all these years is priceless in my eyes. With a bit of luck and a lot of support, I aspire to do everything in my capability to carry on and maintain the rich tradition and dignity of my family, as well as this profession, to which our entire families have committed themselves to, all these years.
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