Ravi Teja on starring in Nela Ticket: I let director Kalyan Krishna treat this as his film, not mine

This week’s big Telugu release _Nela Ticket_ marks the maiden collaboration of Ravi Teja and director Kalyan Krishna. The project was originally planned a few years ago but owing to Ravi’s commitments back then, it was put on hold. In this chat with Firstpost, Ravi Teja opens up on the film and its theme of celebrating togetherness, working with the two-film old Kalyan and why he thinks his son is not yet ready to follow in his footsteps. [caption id=“attachment_4442171” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Ravi Teja in a still from Nela Ticket. YouTube[/caption] Nela Ticket was born out of a simple idea, says Ravi Teja who connected with the film on an emotional level. “It talks about togetherness. I play an orphan and my character likes to build relationships. If someone calls him brother, he’d surrender himself to that person. Since he’s an orphan, he treats everyone near and dear as his own family and would go to any extent to protect them. Even though it’s an entertaining film, it appealed to me more on an emotional level.” Ravi said he did not mind taking up an idea which was pitched to him a few years ago because audiences would relate to it and find it relevant any day. “As an idea, it’s not a script that needs to be done at a particular time. I really liked the idea when Kalyan brought it a few years ago. I couldn’t take it up then because I was working on another project and I had one more film in the pipeline. I told Kalyan I’d do the film but he has to wait. I also told him he could work on another project if an opportunity comes along. I’m glad he went and did two films,” he explained, adding Nela Ticket is a director’s film. “I liked the core idea so much that I didn’t make any changes to the script. I let Kalyan treat this as his film but not as a Ravi Teja film. We did take some liberty to add things purely for commercial purpose but on the whole, it’s a director’s film. I’m glad the film has shaped very well.” Talking more about the film, he said that it touches upon a very important problem most of us can relate with. “There’s a subplot about how most of us treat their parents. It’s one of the angles that really left a lasting impression on me. I’m sure audiences will feel the same too. I can’t stand those people who don’t care for their parents after they become old and dependent. This film will be an eye-opener for them.” Ravi’s next film is _Amar Akbar Anthony_ with Sreenu Vaitla. The project marks their reunion after hits such as Venky and Dubai Seenu. Without divulging too much information about the film, Ravi said that he is excited about the project. “It’s too early to talk about that film. It’ll be as entertaining as most of Vaitla’s films. I can guarantee that much.” There were reports that Ravi Teja’s son Mahadhan might play a minor role in Amar Akbar Anthony. He played the younger version of Ravi in Raja The Great. Reacting to the rumours, he said that it is true they considered roping in his son for a crucial role. “He couldn’t allocate dates for the film due to his school. I think it’s too early for him to take acting seriously. Right now, I want him to focus on studies which are more important at this point in his life.”