Prasthanam's star is back with Andhari Bandhuvayya

Sharwanand has received accolades for his power-packed performance as the lead protagonist in Prasthanam directed Deva Katta.

The critically acclaimed Telugu film has proved yet again that Sharwanand looks for author-backed roles with different scripts.

In the environs of his coffee shop Beenz, Sharwanand highlights what Andhari Bandhuvayya, his latest movie releasing this Friday, is all about.

Andhari Bandhuvayya is directed by Chandra Siddhartha who is into making slightly 'hatke' films within mainstream cinema. Is that a reason to sign the film?

I always had confidence in Chandra Siddhartha. I like his sensibilities and have been following his films since Aa Naluguru. He is a good technician and I like his films.

It is said that the film is developed on the line -- "In this selfish world, does anyone have the time to think about others?"

Yes. The film revolves around so many aspects through a naturalistic approach with a bit of humour. It kind of says, 'help everyone, enjoy life'. It's not preachy and it will be a better film than Aa Naluguru.

What are Siddhartha's strong points?

He's creatively involved, gets things done in his own cool way and has clarity of thought.

In the film you share screen space with Padmapriya (who is making her comeback in Telugu films). How was she to work with?

She is wonderful. She knows Telugu and is one of the first heroines I have worked with who knows Telugu. Since she knows the language, the reactions were fast and our spontaneity level was good. The chemistry shows on screen.

Could you talk about the experience of working in both the films Prasthanam and Andhari Bandhuvayya?

It was wonderful. I shot them back-to-back. For a week, I shot one in the morning and the other at night with barely one-two hours of sleep. I worked hard on both films.

I am happy that these two films are in two different genres -- one is soft and a feel-good film while the other is serious -- so the roles were also like that. I am proud to have done these two films.

I am excited and tense. I am eagerly waiting for critics and people to assess my performance as it is two different performances. It was challenging yet interesting to do two films at the same time.

Prasthanam was critically acclaimed but it didn't do as well commercially. Are you happy with the response?

I am very happy. Overall the budget (we made the film in) was covered. There may not have been huge profits but Prasthanam was a decent hit. I am proud that after Gamyam, I did Prasthanam. I hope Andhari Bandhuvayya will go beyond this. I have done three good films and creating a genre for myself!

What are your future projects?

I am just listening to scripts. I took one and a half years to okay these two films (Prasthanam and Andhari Bandhuvayya). I feel responsible to do more good films. I will announce something in the next 2-3 weeks.

Are you interested in doing Tamil films?

I am getting offers in Tamil. I am not doing any as I'm focussing on Telugu. I would love to do so.

Why did you open Beenz, the coffee shop?

It all started off with my brothers. We used to hang out at coffee shops. We felt we should have a hangout place with good ambience. Every place is sophisticated. We thought we'll get an urban look and a village atmosphere. I don't get into the business part. I hang out here.