He is Ram Gopal Varma's latest muse and Kannada film industry's poster boy.

After establishing himself as a successful actor and director in the Kannada industry, Sudeep hopes to find himself a berth in Bollywood. 

The actor's association with Ramu started when he approached the director for the rights of Sarkar. After seeing Sudeep's Kannada films, Ranga SSLC and My Autograph, RGV offered him the lead role in Phoonk, and later, Rann.

Kiccha, as he is popularly known among his fans, talks to Shruti Indira Lakshminarayana about Rann, co-starring Amitabh Bachchan, Ritesh Deshmukh and Gul Panag.

Rann is your second outing in Bollywood.

Yes. I play Jai Mallik, the son of a media baron in the film. My father (played by Amitabh Bachchan) owns this channel called India 24x7.

While the father believes in journalism of ethics, the son feels that the primary business of any business is to remain in business. It's all about money for him. The film rests on the clash of this ideology.

What was it like working with Amitabh Bachchan?

You are talking about a legend. He is no longer just an actor; he is an expression of Indian cinema. He just keeps getting better and better.

How about RGV?

What can I say about him? RGV is bliss. He is a very keen observer. He must have assessed my capabilities during Phoonk. That's why I was cast in Rann. I'm sure he was convinced that I could deliver, whatever the role. I have dubbed for Rann too.

Has this role changed your perception of the media in any way?

I've never had a perception about the media. There are instances when the truth was written, and there are others when a grudge is shown, in the name of news. I have been a target myself. But it is unfair to dub the entire media as corrupt.

Did your interaction with the media help you get into the skin of your character?

I always go by my convictions. And I believe that my director would have done his homework. My job is to convey the director's perception.

RGV has signed you up for two more projects.

Yes, I'm doing Phoonk 2 and Rakta Charitra with him. Apart from these projects, my directorial Kannada venture Just Math Mathalli is due for release.

Any plans of bringing RGV to Kannada?

Sure, we are doing a bilingual called Nirnay. It will be filmed in Hindi and Kannada. The Kannada version will be called Nirnaya. It's a thriller.

You are an actor as well as a director now. How do you see yourself in the long run?

If you love cinema, you'll love every aspect of it. You enjoy acting but you cannot be an actor for too long. Direction was a gateway that I had created for myself. When an actor decides to become a director, it's a gamble. If he/she succeeds, it's good. But if the actor fails, it will not be easy for him/her. Humiliation is guaranteed.

Henceforth even if we ever want to suggest creative changes, we'll be asked to stick to our job of acting. Fortunately for me, direction has worked well.