Interview: JD Chakravarthy – With Gayappada Simham, I achieved what Kamal Haasan garu couldn’t

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Tharun Bhascker will be next seen in the quirky entertainer Gayapadda Simham. Kasyap Sreenivas is the writer and director for this film, produced jointly by Kalyana Chakravarthy Manthina, Bhanu Kiran Pratapa, Vijay Krishna Lingamaneni, and Umesh Bansal under Saptaswa Media Works, POV Stories, and Zee Studios. It is presented by Pavan Sadineni. Faria Abdullah and Maanasa Choudhary played female leads, while JD Chakravarthy played a key role. Ahead of the release on May 1, JD Chakravarthy interacted with the media, and here is the transcript.

What made you come on board for Gayappada Simham?

When something is challenging in the character arc, it excites any artist. I told one thing when my character glimpse was released. I am repeating it. The characters played by Kamal Haasan garu weren’t done by others. With Gayappada Simham, I achieved what Kamal Haasan garu couldn’t with regard to the character. It’s a very unique role.

You are doing films at a very slow pace. Do you take time to pick stories?

From the starting days of my career, I have always followed this approach. Only if I like a story will I do a film.

Will Dharma’s character stand out more than the hero’s role?

Only when the story is good will a film perform well. My character name in Shiva became my own name. People will recognize only when you say JD Chakravarthy. In the same way, Bhavani, Satya, Bhiku Matre, and Kallumama characters became memorable. But when the story doesn’t work out, characters won’t strike a chord. Even if the character clicks, the movie won’t. My favorite character is in “Wife of V. Varaprasad,” but that movie didn’t perform.

A few words about director Kashyap Sreenivas.

Kashyap Sreenivas earlier worked on short films and web shows. I liked his style very much. He is very confident. He made the film with realistic and hilarious elements.

Do you think OTTs are affecting theatres?

New content is being created because of OTT. In the same manner, for a film to do well in theatres, the content must be good. A small film like Little Hearts did well in theatres. Now, audiences have multiple options. If they don’t like something, they won’t watch it on OTT either.