My father made me sign 'Zanjeer': Ram Charan Teja

Cover of Amitabh Bachchan

Telugu actor Ram Charan Teja was apprehensive to star in the remake of 'Zanjeer' but says it was his superstar father Chiranjeevi, who came to his rescue and made him sign the film.
'Zanjeer' is the remake of the hit 1973 Amitabh Bachchan starrer. The film marks the Bollywood debut of the 28-year-old actor, who admits that the thought of reprising the megastar's iconic character Vijay was unnerving at first.
"I was in two minds when I was approached for the film. I could not decide whether to do the film or not as it was a remake of a very hit Amitabh Bachchan film. I was aware that there would be a lot of expectations. I even thought of rejecting the offer," Ram Charan told PTI in an interview.
"But it was dad who made me sign the film. He told me that I should only reject a film if the script is bad and not because I am scared to try something new. He made me realise that offers like this don't come every day," he said.
Ram Charan forayed into films with Telugu movie 'Chirutha' in 2007, which earned him a Filmfare South award for best debut. His second release 'Magadheera' got him his second Filmfare, this time for best actor.
The actor, who has also starred in Telugu movies like 'Orange', 'Racha', 'Naayak', is just five films old and said he was surprised when director Apoorva Lakhia approached him to star in 'Zanjeer' remake.
"I was taken aback when I was offered this film. I know it is a remake of a very hit film which was path-breaking in every possible way. When I read the adaptation I was very impressed," he said.
The film also stars Priyanka Chopra as Mala, Sanjay Dutt as Sher Khan, Praksh Raj as the villain Teja and will see Mahie Gill play Mona Darling. Both the Hindi and the Telugu versions will hit theatres on September 6.
Ram Charan, who has watched the original 'Zanjeer' twice, said the new version has a very different setting, which makes it relevant in the present scenario.
"I have watched the original twice. The whole crux of the movie has been kept same as the original but I can say that this film has been adapted for today's audience. The characters- be it Vijay or Mala- are very modern and will easily fit in today's scenario," Ram Charan said.
The actor was all praise for Lakhia, who has earlier directed action-packed films like 'Shootout at Lokhandwala' and 'Mission Istaanbul'.
"He (Lakhia) has done a great job. Besides the story, there are good action sequences, the script is very tight and the film is just 1 hour 55 minutes long," he added.
Ram Charan said he got valuable tips from his co-star Priyanka on starring in a remake as the actress has previously starred in the reboot of films like 'Don' and 'Agneepath'.
"I think both me and Apoorva took tips from her in terms of how to deal with the pressure, the expectations and also comparisons. She was lovely co-star, very helpful. She had some trouble with the Telugu lines and she came up to me and asked for help and likewise she was gracious enough to help me with my Hindi dialogues," Ram Charan said.
When asked if he has signed his second Bollywood film yet, Ram Charan said right now he is just happy about his first movie in the Hindi film industry and waiting to see the reaction of the audience.
"I am really happy to venture into something new right now. I can hardly wait to see the reaction of the audience as I have worked very hard. I have been offered some very good scripts. But it is too early to talk about my second Bollywood film. There are discussions and when it materialises I will let people know," Ram Charan said.