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Teja Sajja on ‘Mirai’, Making Indian Superhero Films Matter, and Why He Doesn’t Chase Fame
The actor will be seen in the Telugu mythological adventure film ‘Mirai’, which is being presented by Karan Johar in Hindi and Hombale Films in Kannada.
Teja Sajja wants to be a patron of Indian superhero films. When we enjoy and support films like the Marvel productions from the West, why can’t we yield love for its Indian counterpart, he asks? The actor, who was last seen in Prasanth Varma’s wildly popular Telugu mythological superhero film Hanu-Man (2024), is leading yet another fantasy film that is set in the realm of Indian mythology. Directed by Karthik Gattamneni, Mirai sets Teja Sajja off on an epic mission to save scriptures.
The Telugu film, which will be released in multiple languages on September 12, marks the unique coming together of media giants. Mirai is backed by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions in Hindi, Vijay Kiragandur’s Hombale Films in Kannada, Archana Kalpathi’s AGS Cinemas in Tamil, and Sree Gokulam Movies in Malayalam.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, the young actor speaks about being drawn to devotion and disruption in films, why Mirai is not an educational movie, and his plans to reunite with Prasanth Varma for Zombie Reddy 2.
Excerpts from an interview:
How are you feeling about your career take-off in the past few years?
Fame was something I had since I was young [Sajja was a prominent child artist in Telugu cinema], so that is not what gives me satisfaction. Now that I know I have a wide audience ready to watch our films, I am even more cautious. I am double-checking to ensure my films cater to all age groups across languages. There is a lot of responsibility I take from this. I am happy that I've made all of this possible by myself.
At the same time, nothing has changed. It is the same struggle. You have to build curiosity among the audience for every film and bring out something new every single time. The one thing that has changed is that we have a wider platform and the liberty to make films of our choice.
HanuMan put you on a map as an actor. Do you think it changed your life overnight?
No. It would've helped if I wanted to focus on quantity. That was never the intention. It would've helped if I were chasing fame, which I am not looking for. The biggest takeaway is that I have built credibility among viewers.
What drew you to Mirai?
It was narrated to me before the release of HanuMan. It took us about two and a half years to make HanuMan. During its making, I had opportunities to do other films in parallel. Prasanth was asking me why I wanted to sit idle while waiting for the VFX work to be done. But I had a gut feeling that the film would blow up. So, I was on the lookout for a script that would be worthwhile.
During the first narration of Mirai, I knew that this was what I was waiting for. It had our itihasas merged into the story. It is an all-round commercial film packaged with new-age elements. I always search for scripts that have a bigger reason than the star cast for the audience to come to the theatre.
You're quickly becoming the face of these disruptive devotional films. How do you look at it?
Doing anything for the first time gives me happiness. We enjoy Marvel films. Why not make films of that sort with our Indian culture and itihasas? Blending it neatly without forcing it on our audience is key.
As an audience member, I am drawn towards fantasy. Now that I have the opportunity to make grand fantasy films that also cater to the younger generation, where they get to know something new in a very cool way, it excites me.
How does one make sure such films don't take on a forceful, preachy tone?
I am very clear that we're not making an educational film. This is a proper commercial film that has fantasy, adventure, and emotions. In the three-minute-and-ten-second-long trailer, the divine element lasts for only 10 seconds. In HanuMan, too, the major Hanuman episodes are only 3 minutes long. What we are making predominantly is a social film, but by incorporating itihasas in a cool way.
Mirai brings together movie giants from various industries. What do you think about this pan-Indian staging for the film?
With the teaser and trailer we created, there has been an amount of interest in the audience and that has translated into getting phone calls for collaborations. We are quite happy that this is happening. I am excited to collaborate with Karan [Johar] sir. He has only produced a handful of films in the south, and being one among them feels nice.
I see this as a great opportunity and trend to collaborate even more. If this film lands the way I am expecting, from the next time onwards, these collaborations will happen on day one itself. That is a really great way to make a pan-Indian film.
Content might take me to audiences. But it will only perform to a certain limit with merit. It is actually quite rare to get a wider release just with merit. I am not somebody with 20-30 films to back me, nor do we have superstars in the movie. We are all from humble beginnings. In an industry where there is only a 5% success rate, proving ourselves every single time is a tough task. I hope we will land there.
Does that also come with its own set of pressures? Especially at a time when big films in the industry are navigating choppy waters at the box office?
There is no pressure or pride. Now that I have bigger stakes, I have bigger responsibilities. There is definitely a little more financial comfort, in terms of a film’s making and take-home earnings. It ends there. It takes up a lot of my time and mental space, and I need to find balance in it.
Tell us about some of your upcoming work. Do you have a particular genre you want to sink your teeth into?
We’re almost on the verge of locking the final script of Zombie Reddy 2. That will be a wacky comedy film. Zombie Reddy [the Prasanth Varma film released in 2021] didn't get the kind of reception it was supposed to get, despite how well it performed in Telugu and Kannada. It was the first zombie film in Telugu, and we put in a lot of effort. So, for the sequel, we are going all out.
I want to do an out-and-out entertainer where I want to make you laugh. I find that audiences react in the theatre often only if there is a mass moment or comedy. Only with comedy can you see the whole theatre erupting.