Abhinay Vaddi never had dreams to pursue a career in films. After completing his MS in International Studies from UK, the MBA graduate had his plans chalked out for a corporate career.
Vaddi is the grandson of veteran Tamil actors Gemini Ganesan and Savitri (son of their daughter Vijaya Chamundeswari and Govinda Rao).
He got his break in the film industry when Telugu director Dasari Narayana Rao, an admirer of his grandmother, offered him a role. “It was a documentary titled Young India. I did it out of respect for him and love for my paati [grandmother],” said Vaddi, who is also a national level table tennis champion.
He later received a call from Tamil director Gnana Rajasekaran. During a meeting, the director showed Vaddi two black and white pictures and asked him to identify the person. “I recognised Srinivasa Ramanujan [Indian mathematical wizard] immediately but Rajasekaran corrected me: ‘One of them is Ramanujan, the other is you.’”
Vaddi was taken aback when the director said: “We have incorporated your eyes and forehead on to Ramanujan’s face and look at the similarity.”
Vaddi recalled: “On my first meeting with director Rajasekaran, I was sporting long hair and a beard. I was amazed at how he looked through all that and noticed Ramanujan.”
Preparing for the role, Vaddi tonsured his hair. “I read a couple of books on Ramanujan, but on the sets, I had to unlearn everything. I had to practise Ramanujan’s handwriting and gain 25 kilograms.”
“Rajasekaran sir would praise my performance, yet he had suggestions on improvement. That was encouraging since he was more confident of my abilities and expected more from me than I thought I could deliver.”
“Working with English actors was fun. They adopt a totally different style of working,” Vaddi added.
Being Ramanujan was not an easy process, he said. Among the difficult scenes, he counts the one when Prof. Hardy breaks the news to Ramanujan about his Fellowship into the Royal Society. Overwhelmed, Ramanujan breaks down.
Sharing memories of Gemini Ganesan, Vaddi said: “Thatha [grandfather] enjoyed sports and often accompanied me to tournaments.”
As for his celebrity aunt and Bollywood diva, Rekha, Vaddi said: “She was the first person to congratulate me on the role. She wished she could have played my mother in the film.”
Looking forward to his Tamil debut, Vaddi said: “I have finally found my path and am grounded. It’s a dream debut.”
