“I might work on bigger projects in future, but Month of Madhu has been a satisfying experience that I will remember all my life,” says actor Naveen Chandra, during an hour-long conversation. The Telugu film, written and directed by Srikanth Nagothi, has him portraying 42-year-old Madhusudhan Rao who has taken to alcohol as an escape and is locked in a court battle with his wife Lekha, portrayed by Swathi Reddy. The film with an indie-spirited heart has fetched the actors a warm response and Naveen is savouring every bit of it.
Month of Madhu is his first theatrical release in five years, Naveen points out. His presence in the web series Parampara and films such as Ammu, which had a direct OTT release, ensured that the audience did not miss him. He has been working on a handful of projects in the last two years, the details of some of which are under wraps. Naveen is also a part of Karthik Subbaraj’s Jigarthanda DoubleX and Shankar’s Game Changer, headlined by Ram Charan. “I am growing as an actor in this phase of my career,” he says.
The recognition for his recent work is significant when we look at his chequered career. Since his debut in the mid-2000s, Naveen has been through the vagaries of the film industry. He was lauded for his work in Andala Rakshasi and those around him advised him to choose films that would help him establish himself as a hero. “None of those films worked,” Naveen reflects.
