‘Extra: Ordinary Man’ is quite the opposite of ‘Animal’, says actor Nithiin

“My film is a complete family-fun entertainer,” Nithiin told the media in Hyderabad on Tuesday, 6 December.

Nithiin sounded confident when he claimed that his character in Extra: Ordinary Man was the most compelling one he had been offered in his 21-year career.

Highlighting the film’s humour-laden sequences, the Telugu actor said his character undergoes three distinct transformations. “The character arc has brought out the best in me as an actor,” he added.

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‘Never tinkered with script’

Extra: Ordinary Man is directed by senior filmmaker Vakkantham Vamsi, who is making a comeback after a long gap. He earlier helmed some commercial potboilers with big stars like Ravi Teja’s Kick (2009), Allu Arjun’s Race Gurram (2014), and Jr NTR’s Temper (2015).

Nithiin unhesitatingly admitted that he took “extra” care for Extra: Ordinary Man as his last outing Macherla Niyojakavargam (2022) was a dud.

“There will certainly be a feeling of being more cautious if our last film is a flop. By proper care, I meant I ensured that Vamsi did not lose track of what he promised me in the script. But I haven’t tinkered with the script. He had a good time and freedom to bring what he conceived onto the table,” he explained.

With the #ExtraOrdinary screenplay of ‘Maisamma’ 🔥🔥

Coming with #EXTRA fun on Dec 8th..❤️❤️#ExtraOrdinaryMan#ExtraOrdinaryManOnDec8th pic.twitter.com/r9t3w8h4Ev

— nithiin (@actor_nithiin) November 28, 2023

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‘Best characterisation’

Nithiin said the best thing he liked about Extra: Ordinary Man was the characterisation of its protagonist.

“The characterisation of the protagonist is really good. If you take any earlier film of Vakkantham Vamsi — Race Gurram, Temper, Kick, or Oosaravelli (2011) for that matter, the hero characters are amazing. Here, I play the role of a junior artiste.”

Nithiin and Sreeleela in ‘Extra: Ordinary Man’. (X)

“I am onboard a film as an extra, say to fill the frame. He is an ordinary man. But when the film completes the shoot, he becomes an extraordinary man. How his journey is changed with the arrival of Maisamma in his life — is the story. Mysamma is a deity, a myth. The whole story is led by the character Mysamma in the film,” the actor elucidated.

Extra: Ordinary Man features Sreeleela as the female lead and Rao Ramesh as Nithiin’s father.

“Usually, Sampath Raj does either cop roles or father roles. For the first time in the film, he is playing a refreshing character,” Nithiin said.

Similarly, senior actor Dr Rajasekhar will be seen in an unexpected role in the second half.

“Had it been any other actor, the story wouldn’t have been this interesting. He (Rajasekhar) is certainly a big advantage to the film,” he praised.

Nithiin believes that narrating the struggles of junior artistes in the industry won’t help hold viewers’ attention. “I don’t think anyone would watch if we narrate the troubles of junior artistes!”

Extra: Ordinary Man is produced by Nithiin’s father N Sudhakar Reddy and his sister Nikitha Reddy.

The music is composed by Harris Jayaraj.

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On his two-decade-old career

Reflecting on his two-decade-old film journey, the Bheeshma (2020) actor said he never had lofty plans and instead focused on entertaining the Telugu audience.

“If a film is good in its reach and getting wide recognition, I would certainly push my boundaries further,” he sported a smile.

Apart from the regular entertainers, Nithiin’s experimental films like Lie (2017) and Check (2021) were disasters.

“I want to do different films. Maestro (2021), a remake of Andhadun (2018), is one such movie. It was an OTT release and received good reviews. But things were different during the pandemic. I won’t say that it might have done well in theatres. But, as of now, my focus is on family entertainers,” Nithiin signed off.

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