CHENNAI: Actor Naga Chaitanya, who is reinventing his onscreen persona with a string of intense narratives, says his upcoming pan-India project, which includes a Tamil version, the big-budget mythical thriller 'Vrushakarma', is a conscious attempt to pivot away from the classic lover-boy roles that defined the early years of his career.
"As an actor, I'm always trying to do something different from my previous films. It is very much a conscious shift for me from film to film. Being associated with a mythical thriller set in a slightly darker space is something I have not done before," Chaitanya said.
In an email interview with PTI, the 39-year-old actor, who was recently honoured with the Telangana Gaddar Film Award for Best Actor, for his role Thandel Raju in 'Thandel', opened up about the "creative hunger" that led him to play an adventurous treasure hunter in what is being touted as the most VFX-heavy project of his career.
In a way, playing 'Thandel' Raju, Chaitanya said, set the ball rolling. "It came at a remarkable moment in my 17-year career in the Telugu film industry," the actor added.
The project triggered a period of professional introspection, eventually providing the creative impetus for him to inhabit a role in 'Vrushakarma' defined by its darker, morally ambiguous subtext, Chaitanya said.
"The 'Thandel' is a very special film and a special role based on real events and real people. I got involved in the film during pre-production, and meeting them and hearing the real stories of these real heroes really motivated me. I felt it was a blessing to have this opportunity to bring their stories to life," he added.
'Vrushakarma', directed by Karthik Dandu of 'Virupaksha' fame and produced by BVSN Prasad under the Sri Venkateswara Cine Chitra banner in association with Sukumar Writings, is slated for a grand pan-India release in 2026.
Chaitanya confirmed that the project will have a significant theatrical footprint in Tamil Nadu, with simultaneous releases in Tamil and Telugu to cater to his growing fan base in Chennai and surrounding regions.
Reflecting on his transition to "Chaitanya 2.0", the actor told PTI that as a performer, his cue had always been to seek out characters that allow him to break away from the familiar and explore himself as much as possible through high-concept, gritty storytelling. He noted that the shift was not accidental but a calculated move to align with evolving global tastes.
"I've always wanted to be a part of a large-scale spectacle film with a nice mythical layer added to it. That was my dream in the last few years, and finally, that dream came true with 'Vrushakarma'," the actor said.
The technical scale of the film, which features a terrifying supernatural world filled with bat-like entities and ancient curses, presented a unique hurdle for an actor accustomed to grounded, realistic sets. Chaitanya admitted that maintaining emotional depth while performing against green mats was a "fun yet gruelling" process.
"Working with VFX is a very new approach for me. We had to do multiple shots again and again for different layers of VFX. It pushes you creatively, as it is up to your mind to imagine what needs to be there," he explained.
Chaitanya credits director Dandu for his meticulous preparation, which included four months of workshops to master the "raw and visceral" body language required for the role of a treasure hunter. He shared that the production design team, led by Sri Nagendra Tangala, constructed massive physical sets for the cave sequences and the climax to minimise digital fatigue.
Teasing the film's scale, the actor asserted that the recent promotional glimpse only scratches the surface.
"What you have seen in the 'glimpse' is probably just 10 per cent. What I am most excited about is the climax of the film. Those final 30 to 35 minutes are something I am especially looking forward to," he said, adding that the conclusion will set a new benchmark for Indian cinema.