Star Boy Siddu Jonnalagadda is back in action as an actor-writer with Tillu Square which hits theatres on March 29. Directed by Mallik Ram, the film, produced by S Naga Vamsi under Sithara Entertainments and presented by Srikara Studios, is in the news for the right reasons for its songs and promos. Ahead of its release, Siddu spoke about the crux of Tillu as a character and what could audiences expect from Tillu Square.

Ahead of Tillu Square’s release:

I’m equally nervous and excited. With DJ Tillu, audiences went without expectations and found it refreshing, enjoyed it. Now, there’s added pressure of living upto the hype. Tillu is an insecure person, to cover it up, he has a flashy persona, be it his clothes or the way he talks with parents and friends. It’s more like ‘empty vessels make more noise.’

Tillu Square will be fresh in terms of characterisation and story. Tillu is more energetic this time. Yet, we’ll retain similar characters in a different universe and keep audiences entertained. The canvas is a little bigger, but it is still a crime comedy. All characters will stay true to the universe and both I and Anupama have equal prominence in the story. The film, under two hours, will be crisp.

Similarities between Siddu and Tillu:

I and Tillu think life similarly. Tillu is a confused soul, blurts everything out while I keep my feelings inside. It was liberating to play such a role, keep my spirits alive and give my take on the world. He entertains people through his confusions. The Tillu family is wired differently - they aren’t straightforward in their thought process and react strangely.

Establishing Tillu in the sequel, retaining the same look:

To establish Tillu’s character in the first part, we needed about six-seven scenes. In the sequel, we dived right into the story. It wasn’t an easy journey playing this, many people kept giving their inputs for the sequel and it was tough to maintain the same look for the film and not shoot for any other project.

On a new director coming on board:

By the time we were thinking of Tillu Square, Vimal Krishna had another commitment and we decided to go ahead with a new director. Mallik Ram and I were discussing a different script then, but we took a call to work on the DJ Tillu
sequel first and everything fell in place.

Inputs from Trivikram:

Trivikram’s inputs were quite useful for the film. When you are closely involved with a project, you tend to lose perspective at times. His insights were very useful whenever I went in with the drafts of the scripts. He never discussed any particular scenes, but provided a different perspective to the story, thanks to his knowledge on cinema, literature.

On Tillu becoming a franchise in the future:

There are plans to make this a franchise out of Tillu, but nothing is finalised yet. Luckily when I decided to make Tillu Square, I got hold of a unique point and we went ahead. We have a few ideas, but let’s wait and see how they shape up.

If being an actor and a writer helps:

It helps that I write and I act because you understand the philosophy of a character better and it enhances your performance. You understand the rhythm, beats and the pauses clearly, more so in a film like Tillu Square where a pivotal character is a chatterbox. In terms of editing too, being a writer is useful in understanding a story trajectory better. I shared a great rapport with our editor Naveen Nooli. As of now, my plan is to write stories that’ll help me as an actor.

On the music for Tillu Square:

Thaman gave a new dimension to DJ Tillu, I really liked it. With Bheems Ceciroleo for Tillu Square, he had a completely different style, using a soundscape that’s wackier and energetic. Ultimately, they are two different films and stories.

On living upto expectations:

I don’t deny that the impact of the first impression can’t be recreated again. It’s like breakup, it affects you deeply for the first time but you don’t let it overwhelm you when it happens again. When a dish at a restaurant impresses you in your first visit, it’s impossible that you’ll appreciate it the same way the second time too.

Upcoming projects:

It’s good to be working only as an actor for the next couple of films. I may not be writing Tillu 3 immediately. I want to showcase a gritty side to myself and write a serious story. The screenplay of Nandini Reddy’s film is being written as we speak. It’ll go on floors after Bommarillu Bhaskar’s film. I want to wait and try genres.