Akash Puri: I always wanted to be launched by my father

From the time I was two years old, I wanted to be an actor. The biggest perk of being Puri Jagannadh’s son is that I grew up watching Tollywood superstars on the sets of my dad’s films. Watching them, I would yearn for the day when I will get my big break and get launched by my dad,” says Akash Puri, sharing his excitement about making his debut as a ‘hero’ in Puri’s next Mehbooba.In an exclusive interview with Hyderabad Times, the 20-year-old opens up about how he transformed into a “Puri Jagannadh hero material” in a span of three months, why he was scared that his film might get stalled and coping with the pressure of living up to the expectations that come with his “perfect break”. Excerpts from the interview:
You have acted in a slew of films as a child artiste, so technically, this is your ‘big re-launch’...
Well, I won’t call it a re-launch even though I’ve acted in six films till date. For me, Mehbooba is my ‘launch as a hero’. I had told my dad when I was a kid, “I want to be launched by you only.” So it is like a dream come true that it is finally happening. This film means the world to me, I’ve waited for this day for years and everyone I care about, my family, friends and well wishers are all super excited for me.
So how did Mehbooba happen?
Actually, my dad was supposed to launch me after three years, may be by 2020. I had planned to go to New York to study acting, but it all changed when I got a call from my dad in May this year. He said, “Akash, get ready, I’m launching you in the next four months, so prepare yourself”. I said ‘Ok’, but in reality I was like “What? Really? How am I going to do that?”. Dazed, I just kept walking round and round in my bedroom for the next two hours. A lot of things were running on my mind until I realised that I’ve been walking for too long and should sit and relax (laughs).
But a couple of months later, your dad got summoned for questioning by the Excise officials in connection with the drug scandal...
That was a hard time for me and my family, and we went through hell as baseless speculations were being splashed as breaking news on television, newspapers and social media. But I placed my trust in God and thought the truth will finally come out some day, and finally it did as my dad got a clean certificate after he appeared for questioning in the case.
You must have been relieved to start shooting for the film. What is it like to be the actor on the sets of the film directed by your dad?
Frankly speaking, until the film went on the sets, I was scared and praying that nothing goes wrong. I’ve seen a lot of my dad’s films being put on the back-burner after they were announced. I was worried about the same happening with mine. That was my biggest fear till the first day of the shoot. Now that we have finished 50 per cent of the shoot, there’s no worry (laughs).
There has been a lot of buzz surrounding your film, since it was launched. Does that make you nervous?
I know people are talking about my debut and while it sure feels good, I also know that it’s all because my father is a star, not me. It’s my responsibility to work hard and make the most of this golden opportunity. If I wasn’t Puri Jagannadh’s son, I might not have gotten this ‘perfect break’. So all I’m focussed on right now, is to do my best. I’m not at all worried about what people talk about my debut — good or bad. I know for a fact that I need to work as hard as I can to sustain myself in the industry.
My dad had just one piece of advice for me: ‘Be focused, no matter how many films you do, whether those films do well or not at the BO, you should never get a bad name as an actor’. And that’s going to be my mantra. I just follow whatever he says on the sets. My target is that my director should be happy, if he’s happy, rest is taken care of. I practice my dialogues for hours in front of the mirror to see how best I can emote them. In fact, the mirror is my best friend now.
Buzz is that your film is a love story set in the backdrop of the 1971 India-Pakistan war...
The only thing I can reveal now is that it’s a beautiful love story between an Indian guy and a Muslim girl. I play a college boy who is very responsible by nature, but gets very angry when he sees something wrong happening around him.
Looks like you’ve bulked up quite a bit for the role. Will we be seeing you flaunt your ripped body on screen?
(laughs) No, I’m not going to take my shirt off. I was very wiry and my dad gave me four months to work on my body to look like hero material. Even though I play a college boy, I still needed to look like a hero onscreen. Though my dad gave me four months to get fit, thanks to my fitness trainer Gavin sir, I was able to look the part in 3 months flat.