Venkatesh Maha On Why He Took The Plunge Into Acting

Having made a tremendous impact with his debut, C/O Kancherapalem and bringing about a surge in the Telugu indie cinema space, Venkatesh Maha commands a genuine respect among Telugu movie-buffs. The trajectory of his career, however, witnessed a significant shift in the past couple of years, with an increasing inclination towards acting over direction, leaving many puzzled about his priorities. 

Last year, Venkatesh made a lasting impact with his turn as Joseph, one of the most soft-spoken and pragmatic villains to ever grace the Telugu screen, in Ante Sundaraniki (2022). He followed it up this year with another terrific performance as a loyal fan of a Telugu superstar who has to bear the brunt of his ill-timed rage in Anger Tales. But what compelled him to make the transition to acting, even if it's a brief detour?

In a recent conversation with Film Companion, Venkatesh admitted that he landed in Hyderabad with the aspiration to become an actor, but life had different plans for him. "Cinema has been a part of my life since I was five or six. I was predominantly fascinated with acting but the scenario here was quite challenging and I had to take up jobs that came my way. Finally, I became a director. And then, why I chose to foray into acting is an anger tale of sorts,” Venkatesh explains, speaking about his decision to plunge into acting. “At one point, I felt there was a dearth of artists who did responsible acting.” What does he mean by “responsible acting”? Venkatesh has an answer. “I’m not familiar with the background of many actors. I’m not sure about the life they led and the kind of people they met. Their exposure to the world might be narrow but they are catering their work and films to the entire societal spectrum. For example, they make films representing rural culture but they might not have visited a village even once in their lifetime. I was angry that they don’t have respect for the audience they are portraying on screen.”

Venkatesh adds, “After cracking their first film, everyone has the same goal: to become a Mega Star like Chiranjeevi. But the truth is Chiranjeevi garu toiled for decades to reach that level of stardom. Same with a star like Allu Arjun. You might be looking just at Pushpa but it rests on the foundation of Allu Arjun's 20 years of hard work. I have seen how actors and their antiques change after their second film. Somehow, my choice emerged from a feeling that there aren't many versatile actors left. I felt the power and role of an actor were being reduced and after Uma Maheshwara Ugra Roopasya, I was firm about getting into acting," he said. "I don’t mean to say I am excelling in it but I'm doing my bit to improve the scenario of acting."