Telugu actor Teja Sajja, who rose to fame with the 2024 mythological superhero film ‘Hanu-Man’ shared his thoughts on what makes a film successful across India. The actor spoke about pan-India cinema saying where he shared that the “idea of film” should be relevant across the nation.
Teja Sajja explains pan-Indian cinema
In a conversation with India Today Digital, when asked what makes a film truly pan-India, Teja said the story and emotions must connect with people across the country.“The emotion should be relevant across the nation,” he said. He also believes that audiences who regularly watch films in their own language expect a certain level of detail and quality from films made in other languages.“To appeal to those audiences, I personally feel that there is a certain amount of detail and finesse we have to bring into our films, which they don’t usually see in the regional market, whichever market that is,” he said.
Teja Sajja says films shaped his life
Further talking about his journey in cinema, he began acting as a child artist and has spent much of his life in the film industry. He said acting has never been just a profession for him.“I started acting when I was a child. This is my lifestyle. This is the way I live. This is not just a profession for me,” he said.The actor added that the films he worked on, the people he met and the experiences he gained through cinema shaped his personality.“That is what actually made me as a human being. It’s not that I found my senses and then came into films. It is vice versa. I came into films, and then I’ve actually formed my senses,” he shared.
Natural acting
Teja Sajja also explained that actors today must sometimes unlearn their traditional approach to performing. Earlier, actors would carefully prepare their lines and pauses. Now, he believes performances need to feel more natural.“But right now, we have to unlearn all of it and then make it look very natural, like something happening around you,” he said.
Teja Sajja’s next film
Last seen in ‘Mirai’ Teja Sajja confirmed that he has started working on the sequel to his 2019 film ‘Zombie Reddy’.“We’ve started working on Zombie Reddy Part 2. It’s called ‘Zombie Reddy: Next Level’. That will be my next release,” he revealed.The sequel also stars Bollywood’s Shanaya Kapoor marking her Telugu debut and Kannada veteran Upendra also in a key role. The film will be directed by Suparn S Varma unlike the first part which was helmed by Prasanth Varma, who is now returning as the creator of the franchise.
