Son of Producer Bellamkonda Suresh, Sreenivas Bellamkonda made his debut as an actor with the 2014 Telugu film Alludu Seenu which won him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut – South. 

His filmography in the last 9 years have been a good blend of mass action entertainers, high on content dramas & some pretty interesting remakes. 

After establishing himself as a bonafide star in the Telugu film industry, Sreenivas now has his eyes set in conquering the big bad world of Bollywood & he has zeroed in on just the right film for that - a Hindi remake of SS Rajamouli’s 2005 Telugu blockbuster Chatrapathi starring Prabhas.

In an exclusive chat with MensXP, Sreenivas Bellamkonda opens up about his big Bollywood debut, the future of remake culture in the Hindi cinema, pan-India stardom, growing up in a film family & more.

Blazer and pants - @divyammehta, Shirt - @ankurjofficial, Jewellery - @carillonjewelry, Sandals - @jeetinder_sandhu

What was the reason behind choosing the remake of a popular Telugu film Chatrapathi for your Bollywood debut?

The big Bollywood dream is not something that happens when you sleep. And it doesn’t fade away once you wake up. More than a dream, the debut has been a huge responsibility to me. And I’m responsible not just for what film I’m debuting with, but also what kind of experience I would be giving to the Hindi audiences. Yes, Chatrapathi would be my Bollywood debut but that doesn’t mean I’m not dear to the Hindi audiences. The amount of love that the Hindi audiences have showered on me through digital and streaming platforms all these years have never made me feel alien to them. It was almost like I was their next door buddy but just waiting for which door to open. And I think Chatrapathi is that door that I had to enter in with.

Chatrapathi is a popular Telugu film but if you look at the scale at which the emotions were mounted at, I think that is what Bollywood needs right now. It’s got big drama, bigger action and the biggest emotion that one can ever experience on the big screen. How else can I be more responsible than officially remaking Chatrapathi and giving it to this gen of Bollywood?

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The original film was directed by SS Rajamouli & starred Prabhas - did you talk to them about doing this film & what was their reaction?

I just didn’t talk- I got their blessings! Chatrapathi is one of the most aspirational films that SS Rajamouli sir had ever made. And it was after a long due, that he had collaborated with Prabhas. When such aspirations were in place, I needed to know in what spirit that they had made Chatrapathi and even before I took a call to do the film, I firstly cross-checked with myself if I believed in that same spirit.

Trust me, when Prabhas had mentioned that I would suit as the protagonist of Chatrapathi, it was really reassuring. And it was a splendid time when Rajamouli sir had graced the opening ceremony of our film. It was almost like a pat on my back. All I can say is that Rajamouli sir has contributed so much to the glory of Indian cinema that this remake is the smallest tribute that we could give back to him.

Blazer and pants - @divyammehta, Shirt - @ankurjofficial, Jewellery - @carillonjewelry, Sandals - @jeetinder_sandhu

We have seen in the last year that barring Drishyam 2 & to an extent Bholaa, no Hindi remakes have worked at the box office. Considering Chatrapathi is also available in Hindi - what is your opinion on the remake culture & its future considering "Pan-India" cinema is now a thing?

Today we categorise films into remakes, dubbing, Pan-India etc but in the early ‘90s and late ‘80s, it was truly a culture. It was a culture of cross boundary storytelling where if one story worked in a certain region, the other regions would strive to showcase that story to their language audience. That was the love for storytelling and content consumption back then.

But today, thanks to technology, you can get information about a film if it’s an original or an adaptation and you can even decide to watch the original before you can see its remake. I’m stopping nobody from watching the 2005 Chatrapathi. But, what I believe is – today, the audiences are coming to cinemas for a new world. It’s merely not just a story or a known face, but it’s the experience that cinemas offer to them.

And I bet you, even if Rajamouli’s Chatrapathi is your favourite film, once you’re five minutes into the 2023 Chatrapathi, you will get lost into a periodic world of oppression, separation and you might even turn up to become a rebel before the film ends. If you’ve got the soul intact and have something new and more to offer that is mainly relatable to the audience's taste, then the culture of remakes is undying. Who knows, tomorrow the next Pan Indian film could be a remake too!

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Especially post pandemic, the Hindi films that are working at the box office mostly belong to the mass action genre, same as Chatrapthi. This new consuming pattern has led to the death of a metrosexual hero & macho men have taken over. What is your opinion on the same and how do you see the Hindi film hero evolving over the years?

I think India as a country is a multi-faced hero by itself and many more have emerged overtime when it was in dire need. One’s definition of a hero changes over time, circumstances and even their age. But what I deeply believe is, India has been a sufferer of oppression for more than two centuries in the past and because of that, how many ever generations pass by there will be a rebellion in each of us who stands up for their rights and fights until it’s bright.

Coming from there, we have a soft corner for our hardcore action heroes and that’s why I think not just Hindi but Indian audiences love our macho heroes who stand up for the people and kick the bad guy’s ass. And Chatrapathi is not just one of them, he is the hero we need. Or in other words- “apne liye toh har koyi jeeta hai.. lekin jo auron ke liye jeeta hai, usse kehte hai Chatrapathi” … Hahaha, it’s a dialogue from our film.

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Growing up around the films & film personalities, do you remember your first interaction with any of the popular stars & how did it impact you? And, who were your favourite movie stars then?

Oh, tell me if you haven’t been a fan of Big B (Amitabh Bachchan), you weren’t really a part of the golden period of Bollywood. I’m glad I was and I have always admired all the Khans for their unique personalities. I miss going to a Salman’s or Shahrukh’s film on the first day now but I still catch-up with all their films. And of course, Chiranjeevi sir, Kamal (Haasan) sir and Rajini (Rajinkanth) sir are someone whom I always admired. Cinema means everything to me and everything that I am today is because of what cinema gave me. 

Usually, if there’s a film set or a shooting going on, people watch curiously when they pass by. But for me, a film set everyday is normal. Everyday since I was a kid, the thing that excited me most was going to a film set, not school. And if I go back to my memory lane, my most favorite childhood interaction was with Jr. NTR; whom I fondly call as ‘anna’. We were shooting abroad and I was a kid who didn’t know how to look at the time on my watch. NTR anna used to take me into his just to teach me how to look at the time in my watch. And that didn’t come for free. He charged me 8 dollars for that ! Hahahaha… can’t believe I was so naïve. Though I laugh at it, I think I now know it was NTR who taught me how to value time. And maybe that’s why I love collecting watches today too.

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There was a time when audiences in Hindi cinema would only go to watch a popular star but that has changed especially with so many south films working despite not necessarily featuring a popular face for the Hindi audience? What do you think is the reason behind that even when the hero isn't a known face? Kantara, KGF 1 & Karthikeya 2 are recent examples of the same.

I think we are going to witness more examples until it becomes a norm but to be honest, the audiences now know why they are watching a film. They know what a film is capable of doing to them. Is it just going to fill their belly with some popcorn or is it going to fill their hearts with emotions or is it just going to fill their head with some garbage. The audiences are the smartest critics today and they know that content is king. Yes, maybe a known star can just pull them to the cinemas on the first day but after that, it’s only the story and content of the film that will traverse the film into the audiences.

Coming back to Chatrapathi, the film was recently named as the 5th most anticipated summer release by IMDb above Ajay Devgn's Maidaan & Ranveer's Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani. The other films in the list were Jawan, Adipurush, Animal etc. Does it give you the desired validation that the audience is curious about your Bollywood debut?

More than validation, it gives me a high and sense of pride. Having my film’s next to such anticipated titles and star’s films is what I have dreamt of, but not what I had expected to happen already. Chatrapathi does deserve that kind of status-quo but it’s just overwhelming to share my name in a listicle that has Ranveer, Ranbir, Shahrukh sir, Ajay Devgn sir and the mighty Prabhas himself. But above all, I’m excited that India is waiting for Chatrapathi to arrive.

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Barring Pathaan, the struggle of Hindi cinema to deliver a success continues. With Chatrapathi up for release, what do you think Bollywood should do differently as compared to Telugu cinema?

See, the struggle is not just to give a hit. The struggle is for real and forever and it doesn’t matter whether you deliver a hit or you don’t. Everybody in the film industry; actors & directors to spot boys, everybody still struggles and works hard. But why do we struggle is for one same reason- to tell the world an exciting story. And if that story comes from the South; the South will have all the numbers. And if it’s from the North, the North will have all the numbers. But this time, it’s a story from the South and a film for the North – so I’m least concerned about the numbers as I’m sure we are crushing it. I’m just concerned for the audience’s throat that they don’t lose their voices hooting for the action sequences! Hahaha.. that’s not my overconfidence.. that’s my promise! And wait till May 12th when the promise will be kept.