Ravi Teja, 1st choice to play the lead in Sir, admits Dhanush suits film better: ‘Nenu asalu bagonu ani feeling’

While promoting his upcoming film Mass Jathara, Ravi Teja spoke to Venky Atluri about his Dhanush-starrer Vaathi/Sir and said this.

Directors Venky Atluri and Bhanu Bogavarapu shot a promotional video for Mass Jathara with actor Ravi Teja. In the video, while mentioning how humble Ravi is, Venky mentioned that he first pitched his 2023 Telugu-Tamil bilingual hit film, Sir/Vaathi, to the Telugu actor and eventually went ahead with Dhanush later on. Here’s how Ravi reacted.

Ravi Teja missed the opportunity to play the lead in Venky Atluri's Vaathi/Sir, which was eventually played by Dhanush.

Ravi Teja on Dhanush playing the lead in Sir

Venky said in the video that he pitched Sir to Ravi, who was busy with other projects, and eventually took the opportunity to work with Dhanush. He said, “Actually, I pitched Sir to him first. He said, Venky, I’m a little busy. Will you be able to wait? If not, I will not force you to do so. Within 2-3 months of that, I was able to bring Dhanush on board. When I told Ravi anna (brother) this, he asked me not to think twice because he’s a superb actor.”

When Ravi smiled and asked him to reveal what he said after he watched the film too, Venky said, “Aftwards, anna called me and said the film was good. But I would not have played it (the lead role) the same way.” The actor, however, interrupted him to clarify and said, “Nenu asalu bagonu ani feeling naku. (No, I don’t think I would’ve suited the film at all). But he insists I could’ve played it differently.”

Venky Atluri’s filmography

Sir/Vaathi is Venky’s fourth film, following the romantic dramas Tholi Prema (2018), Mr Majnu (2019), and Rang De (2021). He surprised many by switching genres and making a film that serves as a social commentary on the way education in India is run like a business. Dhanush and Samyuktha played the leads in it. His last film, a black comedy about financial scams titled Lucky Baskhar (2024) with Dulquer Salmaan, was also a hit. He is now directing a yet-to-be-titled film with Suriya.

Last seen in Kuberaa and Idly Kadai this year, Dhanush is now shooting for Aanand L Rai’s Tere Ishk Mein and a yet-to-be-titled film by Vignesh Raja. Ravi was last seen in the 2024 films Eagle and Mr Bachchan, both of which failed to make a mark. Mass Jathara, which also stars Sreeleela, will be released in theatres on October 31.