Professionals opt to act in moonlight years

Moonlighting in the after-hours or taking a break from the job, city professionals are opting to act in movies. TOI gets you more
In a film crazy country like ours, who wouldn’t want to appear on the silver screen at least once in a lifetime? But instead of just day-dreaming about becoming a star and singing the should’ve-could’ve-didn’t song, some Hyderabadis are going all out to immortalise themselves via small roles in feature films.
Not the kind that frequents Filmnagar with portfolios and recommendations to bag roles, these “actors” are a new breed — busy, and often successful, professionals — who are donning greasepaint just for the love of cinema. RJ and TV show host Hemanth, admits that he has a bigger fan base now, thanks to his role in “Ala Modalaindi”, where he plays hero Nani’s friend. His histrionics on TV and popularity on radio shows got him the role. “The film just came my way, and I’m glad it was a hit. Cinema is an extension of my work on radio and TV. The visual medium is very appealing as it brings instant fame. That said, I won’t quit my day job and take up cinema full time because of the uncertainty in the film world. I will continue to act if roles offered to be are exciting,” Hemanth says.
The same goes for popular news anchor Deepti Vajpayee. She is playing the lead in Jagapathi Babu’s suspense thriller “Key”. Yet another popular TV personality Swapna, will be seen in this flick. Deepti admits it’s her popularity as TV anchor that got her this role and she agreed to do it because the script is different.
“We are constantly seen on TV and our faces have a strong recall value. That’s the reason we get offers. I haven’t taken any offer seriously so far, but this script is different so I gave it a shot even though I had to juggle both work and the shooting,” Deepti reveals.
David Masilamani aka DJ Blackjack!, who was offered a role in a Hindi film directed by Nagesh Kuknoor agrees that cinema is a huge medium for anyone to refuse to be a part of. “I like trying new things, so I said yes. I play the role of a Muslim man in a band. Since I have a beard, the director thought I would suit the role. I liked the experience,” Blackjack says, with a glint in his eyes.
Media professionals are not all. There are some doctors and lawyers too who are actively pursuing their passion for acting. Dr Bharath Reddy, cardiologist with a corporate hospital is now a popular actor in Telugu and Tamil cinema. Similarly advocate C V L Narasimha Rao, also a human rights activist, is a well-known character artiste. The latest to jump onto the acting bandwagon is Sanjay Reddy, who heads operations in a popular TV network in the South. He says that he bagged a role as Vishnu Manchu’s brother in “Vasthadu Naa Raju” as he has friends in the film industry. “Cinema is a powerful medium which can immortalize you. I love it and I'm willing to do small roles as long as it doesn’t affect my professional commitments,” he adds. The acting bug hasn’t spared people in public service either! State Cabinet Minister Eerasu Pratap Reddy is acting in two movies — as Chief Minister in one and Home Minister in the other.