There is more to me than a lover boy

Sporting a classy, sophisticated look, Dhananjaya is all set to play

Jessie

Gift ' the protagonist of the love story Jessie that hits screens this Friday. Ahead of the release, he dissects the idea of love stories and tells us why films based on them will always find takers among the audience. Excerpts'

How much do you relate to your character, Jessie?
Jessie is a romantic personality. He is emotional to a great extent. These are some of the reasons I relate to him; he is a lot like me, but not quite too.

In what way are you not like him?
There is more to Jessie than just being a lover boy. There is a certain shade to the character that will be revealed when people watch the film.

There is no dearth of love stories being churned out by film industries. Why do you think love stories always have takers?
The emotion of love is a universal phenomenon ' irrespective of age, language, background, upbringing, environment, etc. Watching a story unfold onscreen will always get people to relate to it. The stories are about two people, how they fall in love, how they deal with conflicts, if any, and how they either overcome them to be together or fail to do so and, therefore, go their separate ways. That is the crux of such stories. But it is these different circumstances in a story that strike a chord with audiences. However, how much they relate to it also depends on how well the story has been presented on screen.

What do you feel are the biggest clashes when it comes to such stories?
If you are looking at a clash between two individuals in question, anything from it being one-sided, or if there is too much ego or possessiveness at play, could bring about difference. A simple example would be ' two people in love express their feelings, say by holding hands. Now, if they continue to hold hands all the time, the hands tend to get sweaty and, therefore, it gets uncomfortable for one or the other. Either one will want to let go. A relationship needs to have that space and independence between the two individuals for it to be comfortable. Apart from that, clashes could be external too. We have come across enough number of stories where communal clashes, religion, caste, influences from the immediate environment or even differences in upbringing could result in a clash of sorts. However, a love story is one that overpowers all such external influences. For instance, it is not common for someone to first check if their caste and religion is the same before they fall in love, that is more of an arrangement, not love.

Your look in this film is rather sophisticated, quite different from the rugged look you have sported onscreen before. How has the audience and your fans reacted to that?
From the time the teasers and first look of Jessie has been out, I have had people telling me that they really like what they see of me in it. Even earlier, I have had people suggesting I take up roles that highlight my looks rather than hide under the roughness that rugged looks bring in. This one is a pleasant change and I am happy with the reactions I have been receiving so far. However, every role that I take up will have a little more than what meets the eye. Jessie too will prove that. It is a lot more than what it seems to be.