Jr NTR says RRR director SS Rajamouli chased him like an animal: ‘He is very unapologetic towards his actors’

Actor Jr. NTR aka Tarak is basking in the phenomenal response for his latest release RRR, which marks his fourth collaboration with filmmaker SS Rajamouli. The period drama, which also stars Ram Charan, has grossed over ₹500 crore at the worldwide box-office in its opening weekend. Tarak has said everything he has done so far in his career prepared him for RRR. Also read: RRR box office day 4 collection: Hindi version to cross ₹100 cr today, Telugu version rules theatres in UAE

Jr NTR plays the role of Komaram Bheem. RRR is a fictional story about two Indian revolutionaries, Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan), who fought against the Nizam of Hyderabad and British Raj, respectively.

In an interview with Film Companion, Jr NTR opened up on how he prepped to play such a fierce yet innocent character like Bheem “ I’ve never had a process or recipe that I’ve followed when it comes to acting. No actor can follow a set method for that matter. Rajamouli as a director has always challenged me. This is my fourth collaboration with him. Having worked with him, I’ve realised that an actor has to be naive to understand and deliver what his director wants. In my first three collaborations with Rajamouli, I was very naïve. I think all that naivety prepared me to play Bheem in RRR. Everything I have done so far in my career has prepared me for this project,” he said.

RRR, which was made on a budget of over ₹300 crore, is talked about for its jaw-dropping action and grand visuals. Talking about two of his character’s most talked about sequences – the introduction scene with the tiger and the pre-interval action sequence – Tarak said Rajamouli chased him like an animal to get the work done. “He (Rajamouli) is very unapologetic to his actors when it comes to getting the work done. He chased me like an animal throughout and if not for his conviction and vision, RRR wouldn’t be what it is today. We shot for my introduction sequence for 12 days in a row in the forests of Bulgaria. The pre-interval sequence was shot for 65 nights. It was exhausting but it was all worth it now.”

On his plans of trying his luck in Bollywood, Tarak said he isn’t particularly chasing that dream. “I’d love to do a straight Hindi film. But I want to pick work that excites me. I love the works of Rajkumar Hirani and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. I’m more than open to work if opportunities come my way but it should excite me.”

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