Nagarjuna: Officer Is Ramu’s Comeback

If you think the iconic Telugu star Nagarjuna is bothered by Ram Gopal Varma’s rapidly-descalating reputation as a director you are highly mistaken.

Nagarjuna is highly confident of Officer , the film that Varma has directed with Nagarjuna in the lead. “I made it very clear to Ramu that we will start shooting only when I am convinced he’s doing something special .Otherwise I was just not interested.I made sure he worked in the script unil it sparkled. Now that we’ve completed the film I can say with confidence that after Shiva , Ramu and I have created something we can both be happy and proud about.In fact Ramu feels the change in him.”

Nag feels Officer brings back the ‘hero’ in the Indian film hero. “You know , the kind who fights relentlessly because he believes in a cause.I played one such hero in Ramu’s Shiva. Now again in Officer…this time I am cop on a mission. It’s a role steeped in the anger of idealism.I play a man who has only one mission to eliminate evil.”

Nag feels the action sequences in Officer would be the film’s highlight. “I’ve done some really different action here.If you remember I had a lot very raw action in Shiva. In Officer again I get into fights where bare hands and raw fusts are used. It was physically challenging for me.”

Nagarjuna feels Ramu has invested more of himself in Officer than in any of his films. “Not that I’ve seen all his films. But I’ve worked with him in Shiva 30 years ago. Then we did another less dark film Govinda Govinda with Sridevi and I in 1993. During both the films Ramu was in top form. He was innovative and he was fun to work with. We had the same experience working together again this time in Officer.”

The film is so raw and real that Nagarjuna feels it would be among his best works. “It’s been a while since I did an action film.I am reassured that at my age I am able to the kind of stunts Ramu required me to do in Officer. He is investing extra time on the film’s post-production. As we speak he is working on the film’s background music.”

Nothing has been left to chance in Officer. “Both Ramu and I are very confident of reaching out to the audience with this one. Besides the action Ramu also has also incorporated touching father-daughter relationship into the plot.I felt I was being swung from the stunts to the drama in the same breath. It’s been a while since a role enthused me as much as Officer.”