'Big budgets need Star kids not award winning heroes'

Gamyam won him critical acclaim as well as reasonable BO success in both Telugu and Tamil, but what changed the actor's filmi fortunes is his latest blockbuster, "Journey". It's been four weeks since the Telugu version, "Journey", hit the screens and it is still doing roaring business; a remarkable feat for a dubbed film that doesn't boast of an A-List star cast.We are talking about Sharwanand, one of the finest actors Telugu film industry has ever produced.Inspite of no big banners, he is always careful about his scripts.He guarantees a spellbinding performance in all his movies.

Well, success sure took its time, considering it's been nine years since Sharwanand's first release, a little known film, "5va Tareeku". He was 19 years old then, which was two years after he decided acting was what he wanted to do. It's been quite a long journey since then, but stardom always seemed elusive for the actor.

"I went from playing inconsequential friend roles, brother figures, negative characters and the second lead before becoming a lead actor. It has been a gradual progression. Not many big stars have done the kind of films I did. I am not unduly worried about stardom," he quips

Ask the actor if it bothers him that even a Nandi Award doesn't guarantee success in this industry filled with 'star kids', and he says, "No matter who you are born to, you need to have talent. If you have the confidence, no force can stop you from becoming what you want to be. I think that I am in the process of becoming what I want to be. This is just the beginning." he reckons, sticking to his guns.

Successful combinations doesn't seem to have always worked out for Sharwanand. Most directors that he has worked with, be it Krish ("Gamyam") or Devakatta ("Prasthanam"), have moved on to working with big stars in their next films. Apparently the actor really wanted to be a part of "Autonagar Surya", but as it turned out, Naga Chaitanya is playing the lead in the film. "Perhaps bigger stars give them bigger budgets and markets. I have nothing against them and continue being great friends with them. I can always ask them to cast me in their film," he says.