Awards are a bonus!
14 Jan 2009, 0000 hrs IST, BVS PRAKASH Times News Network , TNN
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Venkatesh has always been extremely modest and not let stardom show in
his personality.
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Venkatesh (TOI photo)
His profession may have made him iconic, and it took years of hard work, but
he doesn't court publicity nor does he act pricey to show off he's a
superstar.
In an exclusive chat, he tells us he's glad to have received the best actor
award for Aadavari Matalaku, but that doesn't mean he'll chase potential
award-winning scripts. However, there's one award he does wish for, but not
for himself. An Oscar for AR Rahman, with whom he has worked for a Telugu
film Super Police back in the 90s.
How does it feel to receive the state best actor award for Aadavari
Matalaku...?
I am glad to have received the award for a family movie like Aadavari
Matalaku.... Director Selva Raghavan gave me a role which had scope for a
subtle performance and it worked. Basically, I'm a family man and I love to
be associated with family entertainers, so bagging an award for that genre
is very special to me. However, I think even other actors in the film put in
a good performance to win the audiences' verdict at the Box-Office.
Will this award drive you to go for more potential award-winning scripts?
And do awards give you a high?
My primary goal as an actor is to entertain the audience and awards are only
a bonus. I have worked with the same zeal and enthusiasm for all my films. I
don't intend to do films just for critical acclaim, because the value of
commercial films is in satisfying the audience. After more than two decades
in the industry, for me, awards are a reminder of our responsibility towards
enhancing the quality of Telugu cinema. Sooner than later we need to catch
up with the standards of Bollywood and films in other industries and make
meaningful movies. However, awards pep up the confidence of upcoming actors
when their genuine efforts are rewarded.
Rarely commercial success and critical acclaim go hand in hand, but in your
case it has happened quite a few times?
Probably I was lucky on that score, since my films like Kalisuudam Raa and
Sankranthi garnered money and awards too. Both the films celebrated family
bonding and the audience overwhelmingly patronised them and awards followed
suit. To be frank, all we can do really is make a good film and then keep
our fingers crossed about the audience's judgment and later, the judges'
verdict.
You've worked with A R Rahman for your Telugu film Super Police and now he
has grabbed the Golden Globe.
It was nice working with the talented composer. Since it was a regular
commercial film, we couldn't really tap the complete genius of Rahman. Also,
the film didn't do as well as anticipated. Nevertheless, I heartily
congratulate him for bagging the Golden Globe and I think he has a fair
chance of winning an Oscar as well. I also appreciate Anil Kapoor for
treading the path of realistic cinema and succeeding.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India_Buzz/Awards_are_a_bonus/articleshow/3973201.cms
--
regards,
Vithur
