A khatarnak encounter
He entered the Telugu film industry with great courage and enthusiasm but had to face a 10-year-long period of struggle before getting a foothold in commercial cinema. A string of hits, countless offers, applause and thoughtful career moves…today it’s a new, confident Raviteja who strides across the filmi firmament.
He says, “Over the years, I’ve accumulated a lot of friends. I guess that’s my biggest asset in the film industry.”   Inevitably, the talk turns to the dread that comes with box office failure. “I always say it’s not the destination but the journey that matters. I enjoy the process of acting. I push, promote, participate in the projection and then move on. After that, I don’t make any inquiries about the box office performance. It isn’t that I’m detached from the end-result. I always hope that my films do well for the sake of the people behind the scenes.”
About getting upset when people call his film an average. “Why don’t you give atleast a week for the film to gain momentum, how can you comment on trade figures within a week of its release? I welcome healthy criticism but some people have made it a habit to rip every film apart. This affects overseas business. People abroad have limited access to our films and rely on websites for information. If these self-proclaimed film pundits give inaccurate news, all of us are affected. There are people who are dependent on the industry for their livelihood.”
You can love Raviteja’s films for many reasons. His array of roles recently has stunned fans and colleagues alike. The stories in his films are simple and are easy to connect and they may not be likeable but what they are is human. If you can’t relate to them personally, they remind you of a family member or close friend. Overall, his kind of films are for those who like movies based in reality, which can produce some of the most bizarre and comical situations.
The affable actor guards his privacy very intensely. “I know that makes me boring copy. But so be it. I’m willing to be left out of centrespread write-ups. I’d rather not be written about than have my private life up for public consumption.”
