Star family status comes with pros and cons: Rahul Venkat

Rahul Venkat, cousin of actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi, is making his debut with upcoming Telugu action-romance "Alias Janaki" and says the star family status has its own pluses and minuses.

"If you're from a star family, then expectations are always high even before you enter filmdom. Sometimes the level of expectation is beyond imagination and, therefore, it's important to make a smart entry," Rahul told IANS

"Sometimes your biggest advantage can turn into a disadvantage. For instance, when your film turns out to be a disaster, the failure is even bigger than it has been anticipated because you're a star kid," he said and added that a new entrant from a film family has to work harder than other actors.

He admits that watching Chiranjeevi on the sets influenced him to become an actor.

"As a kid I spent most of my time watching Chiranjeevi shoot. In fact, most of our family discussion would be about him, how he prepares himself as an actor. It personally had a lot of effect on me," said Rahul, who wanted to be an actor since the day he was old enough to take decisions in life.

Even though four other members of Chiranjeevi's family - Pawan Kalyan, Allu Arjun, Ram Charan and Allu Sirish - have earned a place in the industry, Rahul doesn't see them as competition.

"I only see them as actors, but not as competition. I can't compare myself with them because they have already earned stardom, and I'm just making my debut. I want to choose different films and work with new and aspiring directors instead of worrying about teaming up with big banners," he said.

Besides "Alias Janaki", Rahul is simultaneously working in Telugu comedy "Billa Ranga" and Tamil thriller "Piravi".

"'Alias Janaki' is the story of a common man. The entire story happens within 24 hours of a day and it has a lot of edge-of-the-seat moments. The story derived from a small thought that occurred to me. I bounced off the idea to my producers and they agreed to fund it," said Rahul.

Produced by Neelima Tirumalasetti, "Alias Janaki" is directed by debutant Dayaa K, and also features Anisha Ambrose in the lead. It is releasing July 12.

Rahul says he is more keen on doing small-budget, creative films such as "Alias Janaki" to ensure longevity in the industry.

"I couldn't have asked for a better debut than 'Alias Janaki'. All credit to my director and producer. I want to do more low-budget and creative films like these to ensure a long career. It's important to earn the trust of the audiences as an actor," he said.