Ram Charan Teja, who was apprehensive to step into the shoes of megastar
Amitabh Bachchan in the remake of 1973 superhit 'Zanjeer', says he is
not expecting too much from the movie.
Ram hopes he gets 10 per cent of what Bachchan got from this film.
"I don't expect too much. It was intimidating, to get into role of Big B
for this film. There was a bit of pressure and it was difficult to
handle. In a way when you take up a film like this, certain amount of
pressure should be there as it makes you more serious, disciplined and
responsible. It worked to my advantage," Ram said.
Amitabh's role as Vijay Khanna, an aggressive cop, acquired cult status
and established him as the angry young man of Bollywood, giving him his
first blockbuster.
The Telugu actor also happened to meet the 70-year-old superstar on the
first day of his shoot for the film, helmed by Apoorva Lakhia.
"It was a coincidence that I happened to meet him (Bachchan) on the
first day... As we were shooting in the same location. I was quite
scared as I was playing his character. I had no clue how he would react,
but he was calm and cool," said Ram.
"Those blessings gave us energy to perform better. I did not ask for any
suggestions or ideas. I wish he could have given some but he is not
that kind of a person sharing his knowledge. He wished good luck," the
28-year-old added.
There were reports that 'Zanjeer' is facing some issues in Telangana. But the actor rubbishes it all.
"We are all set... Everything is fine. There is a bit of anguish in the
state. But we hope things get resolved soon but I don't think it will
affect the release."
My father kept me grounded, says Ram Charan
Ram Charan, son of superstar Chiranjeevi, said his upbringing has been
very grounded and he wasn't allowed to watch movies or read film
magazines as a child.
"I was brought up as a normal kid. He (Chiranjeevi) used to keep us away
from films... No film magazines were allowed at home, no movie watching," Ram told PTI in an interview here.
"I used to rarely go on film sets as I felt it was very boring to see
the same shot being done so many times. I felt I had nothing to do. I
used to irritate the cameramen. Heroines were too old for me to even
make a conversation. I used to get bored on films sets," he said.
He was 18 when Ram realised that he should take up acting as a career.
"I realised the opportunity I had at my door step. I wanted to take this opportunity to next level," he said.
On being a superstar's son
On being the son of a superstar, Ram feels it has its share of advantages and disadvantages.
"I love shopping but I can't go out, I love going to restaurants and
eating out with friends. So a bit of private life is taken away. Your
responsibility increases, there is pressure as anything you do attracts
media and it is scary at times," he said.
"But to some extent it has worked in my favour as I have become more
positive, more responsible. The disadvantages later turned into
advantages. It is like adapting to the situation," he added.
"It is not in midway that I was introduced as his son... I was born in that family. So I don't know the difference between born as an actor's son and not being an actor's son. I never knew whether it was good or bad," he said.
Meanwhile, his father seems to be excited about his son's debut in Bollywood.
"There was a special screening held recently... Our director Apoorva
Lakhia went with a paper and pen to take notes to re-do or edit
things... My dad said don't do anything. He felt its crisp, perfect. It
was encouraging for all of us. It was the most memorable moment of my
life," he said.
'Zanjeer' starring Priyanka Chopra, Sanjay Dutt and Prakash Raj will hit theaters on September 6.
