‘Since Ram Charan is such a big actor, I was a little apprehensive initially. My character (in the film) comes from a high caste but his does not. So I was in two minds, how would he take it?’
Key Points
- Divyenndu views his Telugu debut in Peddi as an opportunity to rediscover himself as an actor and experience filmmaking as a newcomer.
- He was particularly impressed by the meticulous work ethic in the Telugu film industry, noting their refusal to compromise on quality even under time constraints.
- Divyenndu found Director Buchi Babu to be a ‘true artist’ whose pure heart and energy were a primary reason for him accepting the role.
- Working with Ram Charan was a positive experience, with Divyenndu noting Charan’s professionalism and warmth despite initial apprehensions about their on-screen dynamic.
Stepping into Telugu cinema with Peddi was more than just a new project for Divyenndu Sharma: It was an entirely new cinematic experience. From grappling with a tricky regional dialect and adapting to a different filmmaking culture, to sharing screen space with Ram Charan and being guided by Director Buchi Babu’s artistic vision, the journey pushed him out of his comfort zone in the best possible way.
In this candid conversation with Subhash K Jha, Divyenndu says, “it wasn’t easy because Telugu is a very tricky language.”
What was it like to do a big Telugu film like Peddi?
Actually, this project gave me a chance to be a newcomer all over again. I was trying to understand the language, the culture, how they communicate with each other, their cinematic language…
‘In the Telugu cinema, they take their time’
How different is the work ethics in Telugu as compared with Hindi cinema?
One thing I really fell in love with working during Peddi is that they don’t compromise on anything. Just because they have less time or whatever, they don’t rush. They take their time.
I always say there are three stages when my shot used to happen.
First, when the director used to come to my vanity van, he was used to be so excited to explain the shot we were going to take.
Then we would do the shot, and while doing it, he used to be very happy.
One more person to credit here is Randy sir, the cinematographer (R Rathnavelu). He’s an experienced cinematographer. I had a lovely time working with him because he gave me so much scope for improvising — not with language, but with my body movements and gestures.
He captured everything so beautifully.
And the third stage?
The third stage was when we got a good take and we used to celebrate it, you know, talk about it for 5 to 10 minutes: ‘Wow, what a good take we did’, ‘I like what you did’.
I would tell Bucci Babu or Randy sir, ‘Thank you. You captured it so beautifully.’
So that was a welcome change because in Mumbai, we are almost always running against time, we shoot a lot in a day. So maybe productivity-wise, Bombay scores a little more. But the Telugu industry, they take their time. Unless they get the shot, they keep on doing it, even if they have to redo it.
How was the director to work with?
I said yes to the film because of Director Buchi Babu. After years, I have met a director who is a true artist without any baggage of him making a big budget film. He liked my work.
Even before he narrated the character arc or story, I thought that whoever it is, I will definitely work with this person. Very few people have such a pure heart and such pure energy.
‘Telugu gave me sleepless nights’
Was the Telugu language a problem?
Yes, it gave me sleepless nights. I’m someone who believes in doing my homework and reaching on sets. This time, it wasn’t easy because Telugu is a very tricky language.
The accent I speak Telugu in comes from Vijayanagaram, where my character hails from. So yeah, that wasn’t easy. It was difficult to find pauses in the Telugu language because they don’t use many pauses.
The credit goes to Buchi Babu. He gave me all the time I needed, and made things as simple as possible.
‘Since Ram Charan is such a big actor, I was a little apprehensive initially’
What was Ram Charan to work with?
He’s been really kind and nice and full of warmth towards me. Since he is such a big actor, I was a little apprehensive initially. My character (in the film) comes from a high caste but his does not. So I was in two minds, how would he take it? But he was there just as an actor.
He has seen Mirzapur, and my earlier works. He was saying good things about my work.
He is a genuinely good co-actor and someone who actually is very present. I saw him dancing, doing action, the guy definitely knows what he’s doing.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
