Star Hero Ajith Kumar’s ‘Valimai’ is all set to hit the theatres on February 24 in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi languages all-over India. Hero Kartikeya Gummakonda of ‘RX 100’ fame has played the main villain in it. During his media interaction, he talks about his role in the film, about working with Ajith, his upcoming movies, and more.
About Getting The Offer:
In 2019 I received a call from director H Vinoth’s office. I was told that I was being roped in because of my appearance and performance in ‘RX 100’. In ‘Gang Leader’, my character was limited to the desire to become a racer. In ‘Valimai’, my character is more layered. Moreover, it’s an Ajith sir’s movie.
About Ajith Kumar:
On both professional and personal fronts, Ajith sir is a different person. During the shoot of the bike stunt, he was injured severely. Yet, he didn’t take a leave. He took the injury in his stride because he didn’t want others’ schedules to be thrown out of gear. Ajith sir is known for his racing skills. I had done racing scenes in ‘Gang Leader’ but I don’t have in-depth knowledge. I did some homework amid safety measures for ‘Valimai’. I was given a very good bike for practice. It was a challenge to do it with Ajith sir, who is super-fast. He takes just a couple of seconds to zoom past you. Eighty percent of the racing shots were done by me without body doubles. Ajith sir did almost all of them.
About Playing As A Villain:
Whether I am playing a hero or a villain, the effort is the same. A hero can’t give certain expressions. Playing a villain is more enjoyable, given you can give some rare expressions. When you are the hero, there is too much pressure in terms of mustering box-office numbers.
About Working With Ajith:
Ajith sir doesn’t discuss acting or films on set. Once he is off-camera, he talks about bike racing, cooking, and such topics. He behaves like a common man and gels with his co-stars like a friend.
About Pan-India Release:
The pan-India release is a huge blessing. When I signed up to do ‘Valimai’, I thought it would only be a Tamil movie. The pan-India trend is fast catching up. I hope I will get recognition in other languages starting from this movie.
About Action Part In ‘Valimai’:
‘Valimai’ is not a Tamil-nativity movie. It’s universal. Even my character reflects the thinking of a lot of today’s youngsters. The kind of action scenes in ‘Valimai’ hasn’t been seen in recent times. The cat-and-mouse chase, the mother-son sentiment… everything feels rooted. The Telugu audience will love the elements. It will be an action spectacle.
About Yuvan Shankar Raja:
I am a fan of Yuvan Shankar Raja. Ajith sir’s film with him, ‘Mankatha’, had superb BGM. When you work with a big star, you get to work with super-talented technicians like him.
About Competing With ‘Bheemla Nayak’:
‘Bheemla Nayak’ coming out on Feb 25 is definitely a competition for ‘Valimai’. I am a bit disappointed but that’s fine. ‘Valimai’ will have its audience.
About Failures And Upcoming Projects:
Regardless of my failures (referring to ‘Chaavu Kaburu Challaga’ and ‘Raja Vikramarka’), I am landing movie offers. I have been constantly busy. My failures have taught me various lessons. ‘RX 100’ came my way like a blessing. I have a film lined up with UV Creations. A newcomer named Prashanth is directing it. I have a movie with Sridevi Movies. ‘RX 100’ director Ajay Bhupathi and I are in talks. It might be bilingual, and it won’t be a sequel to ‘RX 100’. There is another movie with an upcoming production house.