'Kota Bommali PS' is slated to hit the screens on November 24. Srikanth, who is almost the film's leading man (although not in a conventional way), says that he enjoyed doing the full-fledged character after a gap.
Directed by Teja Marni, the political survival thriller is anchored in its characters rather than the hero-heroine template. In this interview, he talks about enjoying doing a performance-oriented role in the GA2 Pictures production. He lauds the production values powered by Bunny Vass and Vidya Koppineedi.
Do policemen commit crimes? Do politicians field other policemen to chase after them? How does the political system manipulate and exploit the police system? 'Kota Bommali PS' is about that and more. How caste identities have been exploited for the sake of building and safeguarding durable vote banks has been shown in the movie. Political compulsions and other such realities in a poll-bound context have been shown very realistically by Teja Marni. This is not a satire but a matter-of-fact commentary on the state of political affairs.
I play Constable Ramakrishna, who is known for integrity. Varalaxmi Sarathkumar is seen as my superior who goes after my character.
Policemen are middle-class people who have their own family issues. That way, this film has a family orientation. Since the director hails from the Srikakulam region, he has a firm grip on nativity. He is also capable of writing dialogues.
I have no political lines in the movie. Murali Sharma's character mouths a few of them. My character is engaged in saving his own skin. A major asset of 'Kota Bommali PS' is that it has been designed as a racy thriller.
It was producer Bunny Vass himself who approached me with the offer. Working with an important banner like GA2 Pictures feels great. I scored three big hits with Geetha Arts in the 1990s and the early 2000s.
While I enjoyed doing 'Akhanda' and 'Skanda', those films didn't have me in full-length roles. 'Kota Bommali PS' offered me enough scope to display my acting chops from start to end. I look the part. I just behaved like the character. The conversations are so slice of life in the film. This is the happiest movie I have shot for in recent times!
Shooting for chasing scenes in the Paderu region and in the interiors was a unique experience. Until I did this film, I didn't know that there is a village named Kota Bommali in Srikakulam. 'Lingi Lingi Lingidi' boosted the buzz around our movie.
I believe in hard work and sincerity. I mind my business and am a no-nonsense artist.
I am doing Jr NTR's 'Devara' and Ram Charan's 'Game Changer'. Two schedules of 'Kota Bommali PS' were postponed because I was too busy with 'Game Changer'. I am doing a role in 'Vrushabha', a 'Magadheera'-type film led by Mohanlal. Incidentally, my son Roshan is part of it. I will doing a film with Vyjayanthi Movies next year. I will be playing a lead role in a movie that is in the final stages of being announced.
Even when I was a hero, I did character roles in the films starring Chiranjeevi ('Shankardada MBBS'), Venkatesh ('Sankranthi') and Nagarjuna.
