Varun Tej: I finally got to play a role that reflects who I am offscreen in Mister

Manam premani vethukunthu velthey, aa premey manalni vethukunthu vasthundi” (When you go looking for love, love will come looking for you) — this Paulo Coelho-esque line encapsualates the essence of his upcoming romantic drama, says Varun Tej. A love triangle starring Hebah Patel and Lavanya Tripathi, Mister, produced by

Tagore Madhu

and Nallamalapu Bujii under Lakshmi Narasimha Productions, releases today. In a tête-à-tête with Hyderabad Times, Varun Tej fills us in on why

Mister

is a must watch.
Let’s start with the role you play...
I play this guy called

Pichchaiah Naidu

, but he hates that name, so he calls himself ‘Chai’. A Telugu boy, living in Spain, his family means the world to him. He is very loving and wants to spread cheer around him. But despite being so giving, the biggest hurdle in his own life is finding love!

Where you ever in a situation like the protagonist where you had trouble finding love?(Laughs) Well, I don’t know about that. But I could rely on my personal experiences a lot more for this role as it was the closest to who I am offscreen. I have actually never gotten a chance to play such an urban character so far. So playing Chai was much easier and did not require research, like, let’s say, how Kanche did.

So where does the love triangle figure in?
Certain situations involving his family force Chai to come to India. That’s when the love triangle is introduced with Lavanya and Hebbah. Both of them come with backstories and subplots that explain why they are the way they are. Lavanya, who comes from a very traditional background, is on a quest to understand her destiny, while Hebbah is confused when it comes to love and Chai is also on the pursuit of true love.
As much as it is a love story, it is also a travel flick. For a large part, these characters are on the road — from Ooty, Chikmagalur and Kerala to some fictional villages, like Shantipuram. And through that journey, the characters too take an introspective journey into finding love.