Naga Chaitanya Akkineni: I want to be an actor, who is good enough to play any given role -Exclusive!

'Custody' (2023) is an action thriller Tamil-Telugu bilingual film that is written and directed by Tamil director Venkat Prabhu, who is making his directorial debut in Tollywood and is introducing Naga Chaitanya Akkineni to the Tamil audience. The film will see Krithi Shetty playing the leading lady opposite Chay for the second time after 'Bangarraju'. The film also features senior actors such as R.Sarath Kumar, Aravind Swamy, Sampath Raj, and Priyamani play other important roles in the film. Chay is playing an underdog police constable, who fights against the anti-social elements in this drama which is slated to release on May 12 (tomorrow).
Ahead of its release, Naga Chaitanya interacted with the media, and below are excerpts from the conversation.
How are you enjoying promoting 'Custody' in two states?
I experienced the toughness of it during the promotion of ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ with Aamir Khan. Therefore now I am used to it.
How did you manage to do a serious action film after doing several feel-good, soft, and classy films?
I have done needed workshops, rehearsed my character a lot, and spent time with real police officers. The director was there to help me all the time, and the whole process helped me get into the skin of the character.
What are your all-time cop-dramas or cop-action flicks that you enjoyed or referred to while doing this film?
There are several favourites, such as Venky Mama’s ‘Gharshana’, Dad’s ‘Shiva', and international flicks like the 'Bourne' series. Also, Daniel Craig’s 'OO7' films

What happened to your OTT original series ‘Dootha," which was shot long ago?
I don’t know why the OTT people are delaying it, but for my information, the series will start streaming soon, and that will blow your mind for sure. I'm waiting eagerly to witness how people will receive it.
Did you consider remaking ‘Maanaadu’ before ‘Custody," as that film is getting remade in Telugu and Hindi now?
No, I met Venkat Prabhu six months ago, and he approached me with the script of 'Custody'. Only after we started filming for ‘Custody’ did this talk of remaking his earlier hit film ‘Maanadu’ come in, as the producers were keen; however, it's no longer in our hands now.
Venkat Prabhu is someone who is known to alter the image of an actor no matter who he works with; how do you think your image will alter post-this film?
That I don’t know about my image alternation and all, but I’m happy and confident with the outcome of the project. I’m sure people will enjoy it. However, I believe every film has to be different from our earlier films; if not, people will get bored.

What about the project piqued your interest enough for you to commit to it?
I liked the role of a constable, which is a kind of underdog character whose character arc keeps rising towards the end. By the end of the film, moviegoers will see a different me which the audience is going to get surprised by.
Is there any difference between the working style of other language directors to that of Tollywood filmmakers?
I didn’t see any such differences, but Venkat Prabhu has got a unique storytelling technique, especially in his screenplays, that will keep one hooked to his story till the end, which I liked a lot. He did justice to the film that he narrated to me.

How was it working with such senior actors in the film as Sarath Kumar, Aravind Swami?
I have learned a lot from them. They have their style of acting, think a lot about their characters, and are always focused on what they do.
You have been doing all sorts of films; have you figured out yet what kind of movies are working in your favour?
What will work for me is a good script, I always feel that if I do something convincingly I believe that will connect to the audience. But if I do something repeatedly and say it is working for me, that will become my weakness. How to judge a script is beyond my ability. Of course, love stories worked for me in the past, but I wanted to be an actor who is good enough to play any given role.
People are comparing 'Custody' to ‘Shiva’. Your take
They are both two different films and one should not compare the two anytime ‘Shiva’ is ‘Shiva’ any day, and ‘Custody’ is a different kind of film but a good film.

Why aren't you releasing your film in Hindi?
My target audience and focus is the South, especially Telugu and Tamil people. Therefore, I don’t even think of releasing my films in Hindi. My films might get released in Hindi after they are received well in the South.
A lot has been written about your relationship status, how do you deal with such stories?
It's no longer relevant to me, I have clarified what I have to, if they still want to write things about me let them write, I have stopped giving importance to them. And since I can't stop them, I just laugh it off.
However, audiences are very clever to know what is the truth and what is not in this age of social media.
Do you read all the content written about you on the web every day?
Not regularly but once a week. if I read them daily I’ll go mad seeing things written about me, which even I don’t know.
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