DIGITAL COVER STAR: Teja Sajja on going Pan India with Hanu Man – the first Telugu Superhero flick

RAISING THE BAR FROM HERO TO SUPERHERO: South Star Teja Sajja talks to Aakanksha Naval-Shetye about going Pan India with the first Telugu Superhero film Hanu Man

A successful child artiste, Teja Sajja has several blockbusters to his credit. However, the young star reveals that returning to make his big debut as a lead actor was not without its own challenges and struggles. But having made a hit debut with Zombie Reddy in 2021 as the lead, there’s just no stopping this South star. He’s currently waiting for the release of the first Telugu Superhero film Hanu Man that also marks his Pan India entry. And as we catch up with Teja Sajja for an exclusive interview, the actor talks about creating the Hanu Man multiverse and reveals why this will be the game-changer   

“There’s no language barrier. That is like the real superpower for the filmmakers right now. If the film’s content demands to be released in other languages, then we have that happening much easily.”

Your upcoming film Hanu Man has been creating such a strong buzz in the industry since its announcement. Also you are going Pan India with this one…
Yes, I’m very excited too. I’m just keeping my fingers crossed waiting for the best to happen. This will hopefully be a game-changer!

You were a very successful child actor, so was the transition easy in establishing yourself as a star now?
When I was a child actor, I pretty much didn’t have much of a choice. I only used to work with the big stars predominantly. But after I wanted to become an actor, I had this struggling phase of seven years trying to get back into the films. That was not an easy task for me, though I was a child artist and I had contacts in the industry. I went around all the offices and there were about 10-15 projects which almost materialized and then stopped because of some or the other reason. So, I think this phase, these seven years of my struggling phase, this taught me a lot. I was just observing films that were happening and I think that is the phase where I formed a particular way of thinking towards films and particular way of looking at the scripts that I always wanted to do. That is the phase where I found myself and what I wanted to do as an actor.

“…Almost all the superheroes in Hollywood, whether Spiderman or Superman, all of them somehow are inspired from Lord Hanuman is what I believe. He can fly, is the strongest and yet doesn’t know his own strengths. So these are the characteristics most superheroes have and they seem inspired from Hanuman. So Lord Hanuman’s the OG Superhero.”

Your superhit Zombie Reddy – which was the first Telugu Zombie film – to Adbhutham involving parallel time lines which did very good numbers as a direct to digital release on the OTT… Your choice of films has been quite interesting and you seem to have an affinity of choosing films with rather unusual storylines…
As I told you, the struggling phase of seven years taught me how to make films or what to look for in films. I understood that I need to have a different kind of approach from others. I need to have a USP for myself, if the audience thinks about Teja, they should think that the movie will be in a certain way. So that is what I wanted to get for myself and that is what I’ve been trying all the while. I have been getting many opportunities since Zombie Reddy… I might have rejected about 50 opportunities. And that is just because those are typical commercial pot boilers or the regular kind of films. I enjoy watching those films, but I want to make a strong impact by making these kinds of films that I am choosing to do, the new kind of films, like the ones that I am attempting right now.

 Like Hanu Man, which is the first Telugu superhero film…
Yes, but it’s a proper entertainer. There’s nothing off-beat in the film and we are not attempting an experimental film. It’s about a boy from a village who gets these superpowers. So the concept is what happens if an underdog gets superpowers.

 If you were given a choice of a superpower, which one would it be?
Time travel maybe. I’m very fascinated by the idea of time-travel. If I could go back in time to see the Ramayana yuga, or the Mahabharata yuga by myself and come back again. I’m very fascinated by mythology and our history. So, I would go back and watch what has happened.

 In Hanu Man, you are once again collaborating with Prasanth Varma with whom you gave your hit Zombie Reddy…
Right. He knows exactly what I bring to the table and I understand his style and vision. Also we both have the same kind of thought process regarding films. So it’s very easy to work with each other.

“More than the acting part, this film was demanding physically. I mean all the superhero effects, all the stunts were done by me. There was no body double at all, no head replacement, nothing. I sustained many injuries, but the end result just kept us going.”

But are you nervous ahead of the film’s release?
I’m nervous about the film promotions. The filmmaking, the pre-promotions, post-production, everything is easier. It’s the promotions’ part that is the real challenge, because I sincerely want the content to reach the maximum number of audience. However big the film is, however good the trailer is, the film should reach the right audience.

Off late there’re films being made on similar topics, like there’s Adipurush. So does Hanu Man have any references to Hanuman?
Well, I can’t reveal much. It’s not a retelling of Lord Hanuman’s tale, but the story does start out with lord Hanuman and there’s a big surprise too. The whole idea of going global and releasing this film in many countries on 12 May, is to let children and people from other nations also to know about our rich history, our Gods. And I think almost all the superheroes in Hollywood, whether Spiderman or Superman, all of them somehow are inspired from Lord Hanuman is what I believe. He can fly, is the strongest and yet doesn’t know his own strengths. So these are the characteristics all superheroes have and they seem inspired from Hanuman. So he’s the OG Superhero. And we are just on the tip of exploring the idea. This is just the beginning of the whole universe that we are going to create around our histories and characters. So we’re just hoping for the best to happen so that we’ll have more liberty to make bigger films like these. So Hanu Man is a proper commercial family entertainer with a touch of God. It’s a perfect family watch for anybody.

There seems to be a growing interest in stories inspired by mythology and those that have strong roots in Indian history and culture… And an even greater interest in South films going Pan India.
Absolutely right! I think there’s some kind of divine intervention in my career or in our idea of making Hanu Man. Like when we announced the film, there was no Kartikeya, there was no Kantara or even Pushpa. But with these films, now we have a larger visibility and audience awareness. We’re just doing our part in making the film and the rest is, I think, some divine force driving us towards the best to happen. I seriously believe this.

What other projects are you looking at?
I have been on Hanu Man since two years, as you can see. I’m just waiting for Hanu Man to release to go onto my next. There’s something we have finalized, again a larger-than-life, experiential film. Again, my first priority is always that it should appeal to me as an audience before I say a yes to any film.

Did the film push you out of your comfort zone in any way?
The story is set in a fictional remote village called Anjanadri, which does not have any connection with the rest of the world. There are no phones, no computers, so like a really small village. The character I play is of this simple village guy, whereas I’m a proper urban guy, born and brought up in cities. So to get that body language, the attitude where this guy is very innocent, he doesn’t know anything about the world and doesn’t realise what’s happening around him that was a lot of work. Even the superpowers are a surprise for him. So we just tried to get that part right. More than the acting part, this film was demanding physically. I mean all the superhero effects, all the stunts were done by me. There was no body double at all, no head replacement, nothing. I sustained many injuries, but the end result just kept us going. Now I’m very excited for the people to watch it on screen.

What are you like when not in front of the camera?
I’m like this 24/7 into movies kind of a guy. Since the past three months, I’ve been practicing martial arts, working out. I had a few injuries, so I’m just undergoing the rehab treatments for the injuries. Other than that, I watch movies. I have very few friends, but I’m totally involved into films. This is what my life is since I started acting when I was two-and-a-half years old. So, all my friends and all my acquaintances are from the industry itself. So we keep discussing ideas. We think about the promotional plans, we think about how we have to make experiential films for the audience for the future.

What’s happening on the personal front?
Exactly. There’s nothing happening on the personal front. My personal life is also probably into films (laughs).

What are the most recent movies you have really liked or you would want to be a part of?
I loved KGF. I watched Sardar of Karthi Sir, I loved that film as well. These are the kind of films, of course I would dream to be a part of. And RRR, our pride RRR, I do hope they win that Oscar. I even enjoyed my inspiration mega star Chiranjeevi Garu’s kind of commercial, proper action comedy. I’ve done about five films with him as a child. So I watched his Waltair Veerayya. I enjoyed it a lot.

Yes it’s fantastic that there are no language barriers and your film’s a step towards that too!
Exactly. That is like the real superpower for the filmmakers right now. There’s no language barrier. If the film’s content demands to be released in other languages, then we have that happening much easily.

What about Bollywood? Have you thought about working in a full-fledged Bollywood movie?
I would love to, but I think Telugu films are already being dubbed into Bollywood and we are getting the same appreciation as original Bollywood film.

 

 

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