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One might assume that actors coming from a family full of superstars have it easy. But that was not the case for Varun Tej, who recently shared he did face challenges in the initial phase of his career. Varun is a member of the Allu–Konidela family and is the son of actor Nagendra Babu. The actor, gearing up for the release of the Hindi-Telugu film Operation Valentine alongside Manushi Chillar, is the nephew of South superstars Chiranjeevi and Pawan Kalyan. Actors Ram Charan, Allu Arjun, Allu Sirish, Sai Tej, and Panja Vaisshnav Tej are his cousins.
In an interview with Etimes, Varun expressed gratitude towards his family for creative freedom and the space to explore as an actor. While the actor acknowledged that he feels the pressure of coming from a family full of superstars, he was always clear about doing something different from both his kin and contemporaries. “When I began, there were 20 odd big actors in Telugu cinema. My dad asked me, ‘Why should people buy tickets to watch your films? What is it that you’re offering to the audience?’ From the very beginning, the idea has been to do something different from what my family, my brothers, or contemporaries are doing, and that is what drives me towards choosing my scripts. Irrespective of successes or failures, I try to be different from the rest,” Varun said.
WATCH: Operation Valentine trailer: Like Fighter, Varun Tej’s next is also a Top Gun derivative
The 34-year-old actor, married to Lavanya Tripathi, also opened up about having a supportive family that has been kind enough to let each of them carve out their niche. “I think that is important!” he exclaimed, adding, “They never pushed us to do a certain kind of film or called up a director and asked them to cast us. They never told the director, ‘Work with my son.’ Contrary to popular opinion, that’s not how we function. I don’t think my dad ever asked a director to pick me in a film.”
Speaking of the challenges he faced as a newcomer, Varun added, “We all had our bit of struggles in our initial days. It took me three years before I could do my first film. Our struggles may be different from others, but we do have our own set of challenges to overcome.”
Varun Tej’s Operation Valentine will hit screens on March 1.
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