What Makes F3 Actor Venkatesh a Down to Earth Star?

By Amartya Smaran

After the roaring success of F2: Fun and Frustration at the box office in 2019, the makers have made a smart decision to bankroll the second installment of the franchise; F3 is ready for its theatrical release on 27th May 2022. The trailer received unequivocal support from fans all over the world for its quirky punches, Slap Stick comedy, and hilarious gags. The stellar cast of the film includes Venkatesh Daggubati, VarunTej Konidela, Tamannaah, Mehreen Pirzada in the leading roles.

We all have idols whom we adore either for their work or personality. Actor Venkatesh is someone who has a  great personality off-screen. His fans love him for what he is and Venkatesh is known to conduct himself in an affable way. I say this because I have seen Mr. Venkatesh being the nicest human being for about 40 minutes in one of the many F3 press meets. The man arrived on time, greeted everyone with a smile, and even better when someone sheepishly said, ‘ That’s it for today… ask the last question please…’, he replied saying, “ It’s been a while since I had such an interaction with the media. Let them go on.” 

What else could we ask for? Such humility in today’s world is a rarity. Nowadays, Instagram influencers for Gods-Sake throw shade at people. You ask them why? They blame it on their follower count. On the other hand, we have got a Superstar whose films have made incredible business for over three decades, and there he is sitting amongst all of us patiently answering all our questions without an iota of false pride. 

Alright! So, Venkatesh Daggubati is known for his versatility as an actor. Playing a character that makes the audience laugh out loud throughout a film is certainly a cakewalk for him. I always wondered where such ease comes from? I wanted to find out who his comedic idol was? Perhaps he takes inspiration from one of the great comedians! Who knows? So, I decided to ask him the question without further ado. 

Q) Sir, we all know that you are really good with comedy. Who is your comedic idol? 

A) To be honest, I don’t really have ‘one comedian’ as my idol. In general, I am a very good observer. Whenever I travel,  I scan for peculiar expressions and if it fits the character, I use that in my films while performing. Wherever I go, I tend to observe people and try to pick up something from everyone. Apart from that, there are so many great comedians to take inspiration from; late comedian Allu Ramlingaiah is someone whom I really liked as a kid. 

As you all know the film industry is a place where there is an insane amount of competition. An analogy might prove helpful here, ‘You ever played football in school during the PT period? There are about 20 unskilled, over-enthusiastic guys/girls kicking each other's legs for 5 minutes straight only to realize the ball is lying elsewhere. Look! Everyone wants to score a goal, but only a few know how to cope with the pressure under such brutal competition and score’. Here is a question that I asked about the competitive nature of the film industry. 

Q) The film industry is extremely competitive, but you’ve got your own thing going on all the time. What is fascinating about you is that “You are in the ring playing the game and yet you tell us that you are not competing.” How do you strike the balance? 

A) Your mind becomes a monkey when you start looking around. If you start comparing yourself, that is when your mind becomes a monkey. I never compare myself with anybody… never ever. I am grateful for what position I am in right now. It is only when you look at someone that you get confused. 

That’s not it guys, Mr. Venkatesh looks straight at me and says, “If you want to be happy in life, don't compare yourself with anybody. You should feel good about yourself. You are one of a kind and people must have that confidence in themselves that they are good.” To my surprise he asked me, ‘Nobody looks like you know?’ I was going to say a chimpanzee does, but I was sure the guards would throw me out of the room, so, I quickly answered, “No!” He wrapped up by saying, “No one looks like you and thinks like you, so, why do we have to worry about somebody amma?”

F3: Fun & Frustration directed by Anil Ravipudi is releasing this Friday the 27th of May 2022.