I’m Expecting Much Bigger Hit: Naga Shaurya

Young and promising hero Naga Shaurya’s Lakshya marks first Indian movie on the backdrop of the ancient sport archery. Ketika Sharma played the leading lady in the film directed by Santhosh Jagarlapudi. Lakshya will be gracing the theatres on 10th of this month. Today, Naga Shaurya interacted with scribes. Here are excerpts.

Are you expecting to continue the success streak with Lakshya?
Varudu Kaavalenu became success, because the genre wholesome entertainer is my cup of tea. I believe audience will accept those kinds of subjects any times. I’m coming up with Lakshya and I’m expecting much bigger hit.

What’s your reaction when you first heard the story?
When I heard the story, I thought of giving my best. These kinds of stories come rarely, so I worked really hard for it. It’s fortunate to have family drama and other elements in a sports movie. Every actor goes one step forward, when they get to do films like Lakshya.

How tough it was to learn the sport?
Archery is not an easy sport. But I didn’t feel it tough, as I learnt it for cinema. I enjoyed the process of learning the sport. The bow weighs around 35 kgs and there are high chances of getting injuries. I took just 3 days of training.

Did you earlier get film offers on other sports?
Lakshya is the first Indian film on Archery. This indeed is my first sports-based film. I got few sports movies earlier. But I liked this one. How Pardhu wins himself and then the world is the theme of the movie.

How’s it working with seniors like Sachin Khedekar and Jagapathi Babu?
It’s my first time with Sachin Khedekar and Jagapathi Babu. Sachin Khedekar joined the shoot, just 10 days after release of Ala Vaikunthapurramloo. He’s very passionate and gave full support. Jagapathi Babu is one of the versatile actors in Telugu industry. I had a fear that, if I don’t do well, I may not get noticed in the movie. So, I tried to give my best.

Why didn’t you drink water for the role?
I followed a strict diet regime to build desired physique. I didn’t drink water for 4 days for the film shoot, then 3 days for photo-shoot and 2 days for shoot of another schedule. There’s no liquid diet as well. I only had brown rice and grill chicken. It’s really tough to eat without drinking water.

Was that necessary for the film?
It’s definitely important to show how hero has changed. In order to show he has turned very disciplined, I went for the physical transformation.

What’s the status of your film in home banner?
95% of the shoot is already completed and only songs are pending. I played a Brahmin character for the first time.

Tell us about your other projects?
Palana Ammayi Palana Abbayi is very close to my heart. I don’t know how many films I do, but it will be remembered for ages. This film gives full satisfaction as an actor. We have been shooting the movie for almost 3 years. It will have 7 different variations. It will remain to be one of the best films in my career. Still 60% of the shoot is left. I didn’t commit any other projects for this one. It will take another year to wrap up the remaining portions.