It was a one-sided love affair so far, but cinema is finally loving me back: Naveen Polishetty

Naveen Polishetty seems to have finally come into his own after tickling the audience’s funny bones as the foul-mouthed Acid in

Chhichhore

and the smart yet funny detective in Agent

Sai Srinivasa Athreya

. With his film Chhichhore nominated for a Filmfare in the Best Film, Best Director (Popular), Best Original Story and Best Dialogue categories, he feels the hard work of almost a decade and the gruelling hours are finally paying off. The actor is now gearing up for four projects in Bollywood as well as in Tollywood. If he’s stressed about expectations weighing on him after delivering big hits with his debut in the two industries, it doesn’t show. If anything, Naveen is brimming with energy even after a long day of shoot as he gets ready for a chat with

Hyderabad Times

. “I have worked for all this my entire life; it’s not something that has come easy to me. I feel like I was in a one-sided love affair with cinema and it has finally learnt to love me back. It’s so rewarding to have worked so hard for 10 long years and to finally have made my debut in Telugu and Hindi film industries,” says the Hyderabadi boy. Excerpts from a chat.

How does it feel to have had hits in two different industries so early on in your career?
When Agent... received a good response, I felt this overpowering mix of emotions. I felt touched and overwhelmed with gratitude. With Chhichhore’s response, I went through the exact same thing again. I thought people wouldn’t notice me amidst the ensemble cast, but my character Acid did get noticed. It still feels like a blur, I wonder what I’ve done to deserve so much love. To hear people laugh in theatres is what I work for as an artiste and to see it come to fruition is the best feeling.

The audience’s expectations will be high now, considering your successful stint at the box-office so far. Feeling the heat?when I choose a project, my focus is only on the writing, acting and storytelling. But it does make me a bit nervous to know that there are more expectations of me now. Life has changed; I am no longer roaming around looking for work. Exciting prospects are coming my way after the release of these films. Many do films for the fame or money, but I want to be a great storyteller.

You did theatre for a long time... that must have prepared you for your silver screen stint?
Oh yeah! But more than than, it kept me poor for a lot of years. (laughs) I used to earn Rs 700 per show and I had to take up many day jobs to support myself. There were days when I would do marketing, work as a host at events and malls, do voice-over for ads, radio jingles, anything that would pay me more than what I was earning. I did English and Hindi theatre. There was a time when we did a play in Chandigarh and there were hardly 10 people in the audience! we had rehearsed for three months. It was so disheartening. So we went to a coffee shop, put up flyers and kept yelling the name of the play in the middle of random conversations we were pretending to hold so people would notice. But all that said, theatre is where one learns. it gave me the foundation I need, but we don’t have a viable enough culture like they do in the West. It also gave me life lessons on how to make things work without money. I’ve come to realise that it’s nice to have a dream, but there’s no point if it’s not financially viable.

You don’t come from a film family. how do your parents feel about it all?
My dad is so proud, he took his college friends, school friends, relatives and even badminton friends to watch my films. (laughs) He has been waiting for a decade for this day. My parents always feared for my future, but my YouTube videos going viral gave them a little confidence. They were still waiting to see me on 70MM. Now that I have made my debut, I feel happier for them than for me. We got a standing ovation for both films during the screening and my dad hugged me both times. He even started crying! We did a lot of crying as a family, but it’s all happy tears.

Bollywood or Tollywood — what would you choose if you had a choice?
(Laughs) I knew you’d ask this question. I never thought I’d be in a position where I would ever be asked this question in the first place. My aim is to be a multilingual actor; I’m even learning Tamil. If there is a director who has written a great story, no matter what film industry he/she is from, I want to be able to do it. But formula films are not what I see myself doing. no disrespect there because I love watching them. But as an actor, I’m looking for that sweet-spot that’s a mix of storytelling and commerce.

What next?
I have Jathi Ratnalu with Priyadarshi and Rahul Ramakrishna that I am very excited about. It is a hilarious entertainer and a subject I’ve always wanted to do. We’re having so much fun on set, we’re sure the audience will laugh from beginning to end. We have shot in Jogipet, Sangareddy and Hyderabad so far and with three of us coming together, we hope to create an energy that’ll be loved by the audience. I have also finalised three other projects — a relationship-based comedy in Hindi, an underdog story and a drama in Telugu. In cinema, we always celebrate the hero. But I think it’s time we celebrate the underdog too.

What else is on your wishlist?
If I can score three hits in three different languages, that’d be cool. Since I am learning Tamil, hopefully this year will see me venture into the Tamil film industry. Someone even bought the rights to Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya in Tamil, so if the directors are looking for new actors, I hope they think of me.