When Ramya Krishnan played the role of Rajamatha in Baahubali, many said that nobody could have done the role better than her. When Nadhiya played mother to Prabhas's character in Mirchi, several people in the industry took note of her performance. She then landed the role of Sunanda, aunt to Pawan Kalyan's character in Attarintiki Daredi. In fact, her role was as powerful as the hero's. Once a lead actor in family movies, Jagapathi Babu now plays hardcore villain roles, father and even corporate businessman roles.
These reinventions happened in what can be called the 'second innings' of these actors, and many a time, they get to do a variety of performance oriented roles. They are also freed from the pressure of taking responsibility for a film's success or failure. However, the second innings has been a cakewalk for some actors, it's not without its share of hiccups for others.
According to industry experts, success in the second innings is limited to those who are able to think beyond their image until then, grab opportunities and form a connection with the new audiences and current crop of young colleagues in the industry.
Veteran actor and former MLA Jayasudha is one such actor. Jayasudha has always done versatile roles from the beginning of her career and she believes that her experience has made it easy for her to do contemporary films. Her role in Amma Nanna O Tamil Ammayi, starring Ravi Teja and Asin, was very well received by the audience. She acted as mother to Ravi Teja's character, and there's a special song with them in the film which was a huge hit. She's played the mother role to several lead actors in recent films.
Speaking to TNM, Jayasudha says, "Opportunities for character artistes mostly depend on the directors. If they feel we'll be suitable for that role, they will call us. Considering the kind of roles that I have played in my career, this has been very easy."
However, getting fans to accept a reinvention in the second innings can be tough. A successful actor in Telugu cinema, or for that matter in most film industries in the country, attains the status of god in the minds of fans. But it's important for actors to be cognisant of changing times and waning popularity. So, an actor who was once a top star and is making a comeback as a character actor must be able to handle the upheavals in the equation well and think beyond stardom, say insiders.
"Many of these top actors at the peak of their career could not come out of their image trap. This is due to a lot of reasons like audience reception, producers' requests for the same kind of roles or the directors' choice. However, in their second innings, they can experiment and come out of the image trap. Many are able to overcome it and explore genres," says Prasanna Kumar, producer and a member of the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce (TFCC).
Citing the examples of actors like Rajendra Prasad and Naresh, Prasanna says that they were once limited to playing heroes in comedy films but are now sought after character artistes. In fact, many consider Rajendra Prasad's performance in the critically acclaimed 2004 drama Aa Naluguru, where he played an idealistic newspaper editor, to be his best. The film happened in his comeback.
But the journey is not always smooth. In an interview, Vijaya Krishna Naresh, who made a succesful comeback after 10 years with Allari Ramudu, said that he had to struggle to sustain himself.
"When I came back after a gap of 10 years, everything had changed. There was a new generation on the sets, the directors and the actors were young, I had to get along with them, matching their wavelength. But I slowly adapted and was determined to continue. I started experimenting with roles and the strategy worked," said the actor, who is known for movies such as Jamba Lakidi Pamba.