When I did my first film, I did not understand or speak Telugu.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
While I can't speak Telugu, I do understand the language.
I started with Tamil film, then Hindi. Now, I am also doing a Telugu film. The journey has been wonderful so far.
I have lot of respect of filmmakers who work in Telugu and Tamil.
Telugu audiences love cinema. They won't let a good film down, and they've proved this with the way they accepted 'Srimanthudu.'
True, I was born and raised in Chennai, fluent in Tamil, but essentially, I am a Telugu guy and a Telugu actor.
I was born and brought up in Chennai, as the entire Telugu film industry was based there.
I did my first movie, 'The Mambo Kings,' in America without speaking the language. I learned the lines phonetically. I had an interpreter actually just to understand directions from my director.
Tollywood has a special place in my heart because Telugu is my mother tongue, and when I sing in the language, my mom feels really happy.
My mother is a Telugu, so I have been familiar with the language since childhood.
As long as I am acting, I will do only Telugu films. I want to take Telugu films to the world. Everyone should talk about our films.