Varun Tej Operation Valentine interview: On what he learnt from IAF officers

He is part of the renowned Mega family in the Telugu film industry with Chiranjeevi being his uncle and Ram Charan his cousin. Varun Tej Konidela aka Varun Tej has made a name for himself in Tollywood and now is all set to debut in Bollywood on March 1 with action thriller Operation Valentine directed by Shakti Pratap Singh Hada. (Also Read: Varun Tej reveals why he married Lavanya Tripathi in Italy; says he didn’t gift her anything on Valentine’s Day)
Playing a fighter pilot in this film, produced by Sony Pictures and Sandeep Mudda, and co-produced by God Bless Entertainment and Nandkumar Abbineni, the Ghani star is looking forward to making a name for himself in Hindi cinema. In this exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, Varun Tej talks about his upcoming film Operation Valentine, his marriage to actor Lavanya Tripathi, and more.
Very true! I’m a fan of action and war films. When I heard the script, I thought these kinds of war films were very scarce in Telugu and I don’t know the reason why. Other than a few films like Ghazi that came out in 2017. I feel we’re going to present something new to the Telugu audience, the emotions and backstory of the events that we based the film on (2019 Pulwama attack and Balakot airstrike) really excited me.
When I heard the script, I knew what happened in 2019 but my information was limited. I was really intrigued about what goes on behind the scenes of the Balakot airstrike. I was surprised that so much goes on behind the scenes and I felt it was important to show people the risks and dangers associated with an airstrike. It’s not something that is planned and executed overnight. We also wanted to show the great sacrifices that our soldiers and defense have done and continue to do. Peace in a country doesn’t come easy and we take it for granted. As an actor, when you come across a script that showcases the sacrifices and tales of courage of our defense personnel, I thought I must take it on.
It’s a very high-tension job. Based on what I’ve seen in movies and so on, I always thought air force personnel were serious and stubborn. But when I interacted with them, they seemed very jovial and happy-go-lucky. I was surprised! They told me, “Varun, we live life on the edge and when we go on a sortie or an op we are responsible for each other’s lives. I’ve seen my best friend die in front of me – that could’ve been me. When we see death so closely, we don’t dwell upon small, silly things. We don’t take life for granted but take it easy.” They are very serious about their work but off duty they are more chilled. This is so true – we waste time over small, irrelevant things compared to what they go through. We must enjoy the great gift of life and I learnt this from them.
The nervousness is always there even when it’s catering to the Telugu audience. But as an actor, you want your work to spread to different sections of the audience in a larger market. I’m happy I’m making this debut with the right kind of film. There’s no nervousness with Operation Valentine because I’m very confident about this story and genre which is universal and people across the country can relate to.
Your fate is decided on a Friday, so there’s always a little nervousness because there’s a lot of money riding on a film along with the time and effort spent by all. As an actor, you need to feel you’ve done 100% justice and with this film I have – I feel I’ve left no stone unturned for Operation Valentine. Nervousness comes in when you don’t feel you’ve done your best and things could’ve been better. That’s not the case with this film. Give it your everything and don’t dwell about things that are not in your control!
I think it’s a mixed thing. As far as I know, Fighter was a commercially viable project. I am happy that people are consuming such content – at the end of the day, your content should speak for itself and people should connect to it. I think the audience will definitely connect to Operation Valentine as it’s based on a real story.
Yes. She plays an important role in this film – I’m a fighter pilot and she is the radar officer. They are a married couple and are part of each other’s lives at work and home. Since they are in the same field, you’ll see how their relationship and boundaries tend to merge but also stay independent.
A post shared by Varun Tej Konidela (@varunkonidela7)
We do discuss some things about our work at home but as actors, we are professionals and our careers are independent. Every actor, I believe, has their own journey and I don’t think 10 people giving advice or suggestions really works. Everyone has to figure out their own journey. So, we don’t really get into each other’s work too much.
Lavanya and I have known each other for many years now and we know each other well. Other than the fact that we now live together under the same roof, not much has changed. Marriage is not just between two people but families as well. We are both very family-oriented people and though her family is not as large as mine, our families are quite comfortable with each other. Lavanya is very easy-going and fit so well into my family. It’s life as usual for us. (Smiles)
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