Gopichand on his 25th outing Pantham: I don't see it as a milestone, I see every film as my first

Actor Gopichand, son of popular Telugu filmmaker T Krishna, made his debut in a lead role in 2001 film Tholi Valapu which did not give his career the kind of start he expected. He was not bogged down by the failure as he returned a year later and rose to fame by playing negative roles in films such as Jayam, Nijam and Varsham. In 2004, he made a re-entry as a hero with Telugu actioner Yagnam and since then, there has been no turning back for Gopichand who, despite his share of hits and misses, has cemented his position as a star in the industry. Ahead of the release of his 25th film _Pantham_ , he opens up in this group interaction about why he treats every film as his first film and his limitations as an actor.

[caption id=“attachment_4673221” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Gopichand in a still from Pantham. Twitter[/caption]

It has been four years since Gopichand has registered a hit and therefore, he has pinned all his hopes on Pantham which hit the screens on Thursday worldwide. Recalling how this project materialised, Gopichand revealed he was not really interested in the project when its director K Chakravarthy Reddy aka Chakri approached him with the script. “I wasn’t sure if I should work with a newcomer at this point in my career. When Chakri brought the script, I reluctantly sat down to listen to it but by the end of the narration, I was really impressed and immediately gave my nod,” Gopichand said, adding he was still worried if Chakri can translate everything from script to the screen in a convincing manner. “I have had a few bad experiences where scripts that were great on paper failed to work when it was made into a film. Chakri assured me he will take care and I believe the film has come out well.”

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Pantham comes with a tagline – ‘For a Cause’ – and Gopichand confidently says the social angle the film attempts to address will really strike a chord with the audiences. “I don’t want to reveal the issue we’ve addressed but I strongly believe the social angle will work with the masses. It’s a very relevant problem and one that’s very relatable in current times.”

Although happy to know Pantham happens to be his 25th film, Gopichand does not really see it as a milestone. “When we started this project, we really didn’t know it was my 25th film. Someone from the team counted my films and pointed it out. Honestly, I don’t see it as a milestone because I see every film as my first film. It’s a very competitive world and each film matters for an actor to sustain in the industry.”

As the conversation veered towards his form and the fact that he hasn’t tasted success in a while, Gopichand said he has not done a bad film. “All my films were good on paper but somehow they didn’t work when it came to the execution part. I’ve been part of projects where I’ve known a few days into the shoot that the film won’t work but there’s nothing much I could do because the producer has already invested. I really don’t hold anyone accountable but the last few films have been an eye-opener and I’ve become careful with my choices. Hope the bad form changes with Pantham.”

Gopichand’s father in his brief career made a mark with socially-conscious, powerful films such as Vande Mataram, Pratighatana and Repati Pourulu. Asked why he is restricting himself to mostly commercial films, Gopichand said, “I know my limitations as an actor. I’d love to do the kind of films dad made as they are still relevant but nobody writes such scripts for me and I usually choose from what I get. But I believe Pantham will be a very powerful film.”