Usually, when a hero’s film is about to release, they rush to do interviews and promote it in the media. Apart from a few top-tier stars, most actors treat media appearances as the default way to push their movie.
Some go all out, giving dozens of interviews, while others pick and choose. No matter how busy they are, skipping interviews is rarely an option.
But mid-range star Siddu Jonnalagadda is different, he now keeps a distance from media interviews.
Even though Neeraja Kona directed the film, Siddu took full ownership of the project. He wasn’t just in charge of the writing, he personally oversaw post-production and quality checks.
Neeraja herself mentioned in interviews that Siddu is “interference-friendly,” meaning he likes to be deeply involved.
So far, Siddhu did a few selective interviews with individual YouTubers and went on TV shows, where he fully participated in their skits and antics, whatever they asked, he did.
He also did an interview with Raviteja. But that interview is mostly mutual boasting, something nobody really cares about, even though the makers might consider it a high-profile interaction.
The audience, especially the youth, wants some spice and buzz about the hero, to like him and watch his films. So why has Siddhu suddenly become media-shy?
Upon enquiry, someone suggested, “Maybe it’s because his previous film Jack flopped, money had to be returned, and there’s talk that Siddhu’s interference was one of the reasons for the flop. He might have thought this would lead to heavy discussions.”
Recently, some filmmakers have been trying to spread the idea that the film succeeded without the hero doing any media interviews, as if that’s a credit to the movie itself but not to the media. Looks like Siddu has jumped on that bandwagon too!
Being media-shy works for top stars like Prabhas, he avoids media and his films still succeed. But for actors like Siddhu Jonnalagadda, whose main audience is the youth, he needs to come forward and talk.
He should face questions and answer them with a practical outlook and a humorous touch.
No one really knows who is advising him to stay media-shy, but it seems like a wrong move for an emerging actor like Siddhu.
