Young and ‘Lovely’ hero Aadi Saikumar is aiming to impress the audience with back-to-back films. He is arriving with an action thriller titled ‘Top Gear’. Written and directed by Shashikanth, this movie is produced by KV Sridhar Reddy under Sri Dhanalakshmi Productions. Harshavardhan Rameswar is providing the music while Sai Sriram is the cinematographer. The movie is hitting the screens on 30th December and the handsome hero interacted with the media as a part of promotions. Let’s see what he said…
You have arrived with three films this year. How are you feeling?
Due to Corona, a lot of movies got delayed. That is the reason why most of the films arrived at once. With big films releasing in summer, there was a problem with the adjustment of the dates. It has become tough for the small movies to get release dates. This is why I had three releases in a single year.
What is the reason behind picking the script of ‘Top Gear’?
I liked the story of ‘Top Gear’ a lot. It is what happens in the life of a cab driver whose life gets changed due to a small problem that becomes huge instantly. It all happens one night and this concept impressed our entire team. This is why we did ‘Top Gear’.
The name ‘Top Gear’ sounds interesting. Whose idea is it?
We did not think of ‘Top Gear’ as a title initially. But the character of the protagonist always moves in top gear. He needs to be in ‘Top Gear’ throughout the movie and with the name sounding stylish, we fixed it as the title.
How is it working with director Sashikanth?
He is very professional when it comes to work and has a lot of clarity. He knows exactly what he wants as he specifically asks for some shots to be taken by senior DOP Sai Sriram during the making. Even the editor Prawin Pudi said that the content is quite good and praised his work.
Is ‘Top Gear’ a suspense thriller?
It is not a complete suspense thriller. We show what a young cab driver does when he gets stuck in an issue that doesn’t involve him and how does he get out of it. I select stories that are fresh and interesting. The rest depends on the screenplay. It is becoming tough for the makers to predict what the audiences are going to like.
Fans expect their hero to make mass masala films. Are you game for such movies?
The meaning of mass movies has changed now. ‘KGF’ changed everything. Such kinds of films are being liked by the masses a lot. I will do such mass movies but not the regular commercial flicks.
Fights seem to be a crucial part of the movie. Tell us about the fight master.
Fight master Prudhvi got a good name with romantic movies. He composes fights very naturally and tries to tell a story through them as well. He worked very hard for this movie. He filmed a scene at 4 AM in the morning. An accident happened during that time too. A lot of fight scenes in this movie were shot at night.
The car you drive is a key part of the story. Is it specially designed?
‘Top Gear’ mostly happens inside the car. So, our director of photography and art director did not compromise at all. They designed it wonderfully. I play a cab driver role in this movie but it all happens as a part of the story.
How important is music and RR in this movie?
Re-recording is very crucial for ‘Top Gear’. Harshavardham Rameswar gave amazing background scores for this movie and he earlier worked on ‘Arjun Reddy’. He is currently working Ravi Teja’s ‘Ravanasura’ and ‘Animal’ movies. He also said that ‘Top Gear’ came out very well. There is only one song in this movie.
Are you interested in experiments and new stories? What are the projects in your hand right now?
I want to do experiments and pick up new stories. I am currently doing a web series. I play a role which no one expects and it is for ZEE5 OTT platform. But most of the stories that come my way are the commercial ones. I want to make more realistic movies.
Did you get any offers to play negative roles?
Yes, makers are offering negative roles. I am currently doing good movies as a hero. I want to make movies as quickly as possible.
How is ‘Top Gear’ going to be?
‘Top Gear’ is going to be brilliant technically. The music and camerawork are just wonderful.
Tell us about your future projects.
I am currently doing a film for Lucky Media banner. The shooting for ZEE5 web series has been completed. The promotions will begin next month. It will not be any less compared to a movie. The first season will have eight episodes.
How is it working with heroine Ria?
I have very few scenes with Ria. She is currently busy with her Tamil projects. She is working under Nayanthara’s production banner. It is quite happy to work with her and she did a very good job.
Is ‘Top Gear’ releasing in other languages?
This movie is getting released only in Telugu. It is getting dubbed in Hindi as movies like ‘Garam’, ‘Lovely’ and ‘Operation Gold Fish’ have impressed the Hindi audience.
Are the producers coming towards you because of your mass image or the content in the script?
If there is strong content, the producers will definitely come forward. Every movie of mine is technically sound. A lot of my movies get good views on OTT platforms. They may not perform in theatres due to some reasons but ‘Sashi’ got good openings in theatres as well. It was a success in the OTT arena. ‘Crazy Fellow’ also worked well on the digital platform.
Are you willing to remake any movie or song of your father?
I want to remake ‘Assalem Gurthukuraadu’ song from ‘Anthapuram’ movie. But the situation needs to be right and it has to be picturised only by Krishna Vamsi sir again.