Varun Tej wishes to challenge himself with upcoming projects

After hit films such as Tholiprema, Fidaa and F2 to his credit, Varun feels he has successfully broken the stereotypical hero’s image with Gaddalakonda Ganesh, in which he has a negative character. “For a long time, I was looking to do something different, something that’d break the stereotypical hero image I’ve maintained so far. I had no inhibition playing a negative character. In fact, I was on the lookout for something so exciting, and this project couldn’t have come at a better time. It gave me the opportunity to experiment and challenge myself,”Varun said.

Gaddalakonda Ganesh, directed by Harish Shankar, saw Varun play a much older character. He wondered if audiences will accept him as a 40-plus man on screen.

“I didn’t want them to see me as a young guy playing an older character. I wanted them to be convinced that I could pull off an older character and I was overwhelmed by the response. Most of my films so far have been well received but it is the first film that was truly celebrated, and I mean literally. It worked with the masses in a big way,” he said.