Allari Naresh has always dabbled with remakes — Nenu, Sudigadu and Shambho Siva Shambo. These movies gave him his most memorable characters. The actor’s latest being the Malayalam remake of Oru Vadakkan Selfie, directed by G Prajith. From a comedian to a villain, the King of Comedy was born and brought up in Chennai until he left to Hyderabad to pursue acting. Indulge caught up with Naresh for an exclusive interview:
What kind of student were you in school?
I was a backbencher and considered an average student. I was always interested in sports and most of my school days were spent on the ground playing basketball or javelin. I was a very quiet kid who sat on the last bench next to the window.
Did you have a childhood crush?
Yes, I did and I still remember her face. Her name was Swetha and she was from my class. She was the class leader. My friends would keep teasing me every time she passed by. I never spoke to her and every time she came in front of me, I would just be dumbstruck and nod my head.
You opted for an arranged marriage. Tell us how it all happened.
I was always very career-focused and didn’t think about anything else because I had to establish myself as an actor. When my dad passed away, everything changed. My mom wanted me to get married and I was very clear that I needed to talk to the girl first. My wife had already tried googling my name. But, she couldn’t find much information. Later we spoke a couple times and met and I liked her. The rest, as they say, is history.
And now you have a baby girl. What kind of a father are you?
I want to be the cool dad because I don’t want to control nor restrict her but she has to know that there’s an age to do everything and a time to do everything. These days kids are really practical and they know what they want in life. I just want her to do what she wants and be independent. I am very particular that her first drink after graduation be with me (Laughs). She is a very pampered child at home already since there were only boys in my family. I always wanted a girl though.
How was it when you entered the industry?
It is always about your talent and your style. You should never copy anyone. My dad, EVV Satyanarayana had always assumed that I would get into directing and my brother, Aryan Rajesh towards acting because I was always more interested in the scripts and talking to the directors. So my father was quite shocked when I went to acting school.