Pasupu Kumkuma changed my life, Ali Reza says

Ali-RezaMPos30dec2014

Ali Reza might seem like the odd ball in the Telugu TV industry. However, the actor stresses that acting in a popular TV serial like Pasupu Kumkuma is the best thing that could have happened to him. That he took to acting in a TV serial came as a big surprise to his friends and many a times he was asked why he agreed to do it in first place.

“In the past, a lot of people told me that I was too handsome to be acting in a Telugu TV serial and that I should try my luck in films,” Ali Reza recalls, adding, “And every time I heard someone say that, I replied that I was not rich enough to produce my own films. Acting in a TV serial has taught me a lot of things and more importantly, I have become fluent in delivering dialogues in Telugu, apart from learning the nuances of acting. I think I needed to go through this quite early in my career.”

Born and brought up in Hyderabad, Ali reveals that his tryst with studies didn’t last too long. “I discontinued my studies after class 12 and ended up helping my father in his hotel business. My ancestors are from Iran, who came to Hyderabad several decades ago and we own an Irani cafe, Ramser in Marredpally. It’s been more than 50 years since my family has been managing the cafe and people still flock to our place for chai and chicken 65. In fact, I like it so much that when I went to work in Dubai for few years, my father would send nearly 15-20 plates of chicken 65 every time someone from Hyderabad was coming to Dubai,” Ali reveals.

​In 2002, while he was still helping his father with his business, he began modelling and that eventually landed him an important role in Mani Shankar’s Mukhbir in 2008. “After acting in Mukhbir, I went to Dubai to work in a trading company, but I knew that I was missing something in life. That’s when I decided to come back to Hyderabad and once again, I started modelling for print ads and TV commercials,” he says.

Two years ago, he got a call from Annapurna Studios, as they were looking for a new actor for their daily serial Pasupu Kumkuma and Ali was chosen. “I was a little hesitant in the beginning, but I decided to give it a shot since a big banner like Annapurna Studios wanted me on board. Six months later, Pasupu Kumkuma became one of the most popular TV serials and my life changed after that. Now, people know me as Arjun, which is my name in the serial.” Ask him what really worked in favour of the serial, he avers, “I think it’s one of those rare serials which have a good love story woven into the plot. In most cases, TV serials are about the ego clashes between atha-kodalu. Isn’t it?”

And then, there’s the attention from his female admirers across the state. “You know… I have a hunch that a lot of people hate me because I never respond to their messages on my social networking pages. The moment I open my inbox, there are 150 messages and each one of them says how much they like me or love me,” he laughs.

So what’s next? “I am playing an important role in Gunnam Gangaraju’s next film Amrutham – Chandamama Lo. It was a pleasure working with him and as a newcomer, I couldn’t have asked for a better film. I don’t think a film like this has ever been made in India and 20 minutes of the climax is set on the moon. After that, I am acting in another untitled film which will be my debut as a lead actor. I am quite excited about Amrutham — Chandamama Lo and I think it’ll mark the beginning of a new chapter in my career,” he signs off.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> TV > News> Telugu / by Hemanth Kumar, TNN / April 16th, 2014

One thought on “Pasupu Kumkuma changed my life, Ali Reza says

Comments are closed.