As his 'Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty' stood as a blockbuster, Naveen says he is now burdened with an even bigger responsibility to handle.
Published Sep 21, 2023 | 7:04 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 21, 2023 | 7:12 PM
Naveen Polishetty. (X)
The word “hat-trick” doesn’t seem to quench his thirst for success. First with Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya (2019), then Jathi Ratnalu (2021) and now, his latest flick on standup comedy is going places — Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty.
Starring Naveen Polishetty and Anushka Shetty in the lead, Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty explores themes such as sperm donation, the importance of companionship and modern-day relationships with a tinge of stand-up comedy where the humour gets into play.
As Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty stood as a blockbuster at the Telugu box office, Naveen says he is now burdened with an even bigger responsibility to handle.
“Success is easy to handle, but the responsibility to deliver a good film isn’t. Then, how do I present a film? How do I still excite and entertain the audience? — These are the thoughts that keep hovering in my mind,” Polishetty admitted during an interaction with the media on Thursday, 21 September.
The actor says he would love to bat for the growth of standup comedy in Telugu. “I’d love to collaborate with any comedian. I love to do it because standup is an art form. It would be a new form of entertainment. The reception for Hindi standup is enormous even in Hyderabad.”
However, he opines that creating space for standup comedy in Telugu is a big challenge since the art form has its own restrictions.
“You can’t be politically correct if you’re a standup comedian. It needs a certain dose of sarcasm and naughtiness to make the humour work. If someone says that sarcasm is an offence, then humour gets killed,” he pointed out.
The actor observed that we all need to have a sense of humour in our lives, just like the way every comedian laps up humour. “Getting offensive or not is an individual choice. I can crack a joke on any topic or any subject. I can take a joke at the same time.”
He added, “If I don’t like a joke, I don’t watch the comedian’s show again. But I never tell him to stop it. Humour is a tool to deal with several problems in the day-to-day life. If you take life too seriously, you’ll miss the joy.”
It’s moments like this that are bigger than any box office. The reason why we make movies . All the challenges and hurdles on bringing this film to you are all worth it when this happens 😅Thank you ladies. Thank you families across all age groups that are coming out and ensuring… https://t.co/PhVTTbWU8v
— Naveen Polishetty (@NaveenPolishety) September 20, 2023
Ask him about the genres he wants to explore in future and Naveen quips, “Fantasy dramas like Chiranjeevi’s Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari (1990), Balakrishna’s Aditya 369 (1991), and Bhairava Dweepam (1994) directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao.”
Surprisingly, Naveen doesn’t want to do remakes. “It should be the other way round. Just imagine the high you get if your movie is being remade in another language; it is immeasurable!”
However, he says he isn’t sure if he would reprise his roles if his blockbuster films are remade in Hindi.
Naveen Polishetty incorporated real-life situations he faced with parents, friends, and family into Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty. Before the shoot, he visited standup comedy clubs in New York, Mumbai, and Hyderabad.
Speaking about the process, he says, “I met a few chaps there and understood how they write jokes on certain topics. Then I got a sense of how to approach it. Later, we started jamming with local comedy clubs.”
He adds, “What etiquette do you need to follow when you enter a fine-dining restaurant?—I came across food recipes whose names were not easy to pronounce. But when it arrives on the table, it usually has a vegetable that you recognise normally.”
“First set, love at first sight— I thought of doing it quirkily. The third set is the experience of watching Titanic with your parents. That awkward experience! The same I put it in the film,” he adds.
Interestingly, Telugu films made on sperm donation haven’t clicked with the audiences.
“Many people told me that films made on sperm donation haven’t been received well in theatres. But, even when I did Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya, I was told that detective films have no audiences in Telugu. If something is not doing well, then I get curious to know why so,” the actor said.
“Miss Shetty Mr Polishetty has a good entertainment quotient. Since it is a family entertainer, we were cautious while filming. Well, any slight deviation in portraying the scenes might make audiences uncomfortable. It was a tough film to shoot,” Naveen added.
😊 wanted to keep the emotional side as a surprise for you guys ❤️ who cried in the climax scene ? 😅 Thank you for so much love for all three films and characters . Will do my best always #MissShettyMrPolishetty #Hattrick https://t.co/kTbxKbl75X
— Naveen Polishetty (@NaveenPolishety) September 17, 2023
