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Flavour of the month
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"Lineage and genes do not guarantee a long career or success in the film industry," says Rajiv Kanakala
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Rajiv keeps his fingers crossed for his forthcoming venture
RAJIV KANAKALA is articulate and his easy manners make him charming. His honesty and searing self-critique disarm you. His detour from television to films hasn't been easy. But, judging by the quantum of sweat, tears and toil a role may have exacted, the big break so far has been Raghavendra Rao's Student No. 1. After that it has been a long arduous wait. But finally, he is the flavour of the month for being selected as a solo hero in T. Prabhakar's film Meenakshi opposite Kamalini Mukherjee. "I am putting all my efforts into this project and I hope this will turn out to be my breakthrough film," says this talented yet grossly underutilised actor while shooting at Annapurna Studios.
His prowess as an actor runs deep in his blood. His parents, Devadas and Lakshmi Kanakala, are accomplished actors and run a school for acting. Training under their expert tutelage, Rajiv was quick to discover his innate passion for acting. Despite such background, he had to train and work twice as hard to prove he was just as strong in his field. "There is a flip side to everything. People claim that it's going to be a cakewalk for me because of my parents, but it's really not that easy. Yes, there are critics who have liked my work, and there are those who have formed biases. In this place, everyone has to struggle to get anywhere, irrespective of genes. My granddad was a judge and my dad an actor. I feel that if you aren't good enough, the struggle is tougher in any field. My evolution as an actor has taken its slow sweet time. You can only learn the basics from your parents, then you are left on your own to evolve your own style, your way of expression and finally how you play with emotions. It all comes through observation and practice."
Despite acting in numerous serials on TV, Rajiv says to make a place for your self in the film industry at an impressionable age is really tough. "There were times I was caught in a piquant situation wondering whether the decision to switchover to films was right. After making a place for yourself on the small screen, starting all over again for films at the cost of your self-respect had been agonising. TV had given me everything — name, exposure whatever you call it. I owe everything to it. While I was doing Shantinivasam, Rajmouli helped me get a break in films. I would love to do different roles and you can only be different by being original. An actor must have faith in himself, in his strengths. He must only do what he is good at. If he succeeds, then different subjects come up. I want to prove myself as a good artiste." The film industry is like a room. The best actors, films and directors are selected from inside it. But the world exists outside the room. So many better actors out there haven't been discovered yet. There is no dearth of talent on the small tube. Very few have been lucky like Rajiv.
He feels stardom in the entertainment industry is fickle, popularity of the stars can rise and fall rapidly, based on a single movie. "Competition is brutal and industry connections are no guarantee of a long career. When you ask about my expectations from this film, all I can say is my effort to give the best has always been sincere. I have to see if the audience will accept me in this role," says Rajiv keeping his fingers crossed.
Y. Sunita Chowdhary
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