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A still from ‘The Great Pre-Wedding Show’; Thiruveer
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A couple in a small town in Andhra Pradesh is enthusiastic about a pre-wedding photo shoot that becomes the talk of the town. The videographer tasked with the assignment is in a spot after his assistant loses the camera’s memory card. Debut director Rahul Srinivas’s Telugu film The Great Pre-Wedding Show captures the ensuing chaos. Actor Thiruveer, portraying the videographer, is confident that the film will offer a collective viewing experience filled with laughter.
“When the film was in post production, we had a lot of feedback. Someone told us how the fun quotient was enhanced in the company of others. I am confident that this is a film meant to be collectively enjoyed in theatres,” says Thiruveer, during an interview in Hyderabad.
The actor acknowledges that post-pandemic, when everyone is attuned to watching films, shots and reels from the comfort of their homes, the biggest challenge is to get them to the theatres: “Films made with smaller budgets, in particular, either turn out to be blockbusters or flops. There are no average grossers.”
Those who have been tracking Telugu cinema would be aware of Tiruveer’s journey from playing an antagonist in films such as George Reddy, Palasa 1978and Tuck Jagadishto amiable male leads in the horror thriller Masoodaand the Telangana comedy Pareshan. Armed with the experience of working in theatre, his true-to-reality portrayals have established him as an actor who scores on the performance front.
This transition from antagonist to a protagonist has not been easy: “Earlier, I used to be repeatedly offered roles of a rogue or pervert and my family would wonder how directors envision an introvert like me in such characters. In fact, I used to vent my frustration in action scenes where I am required to beat up someone. Now, I get offered the innocent man-next-door characters. I have to break free of this as well and have turned down some films.”
Spontaneous portrayals
Thiruveer admits that acting can get repetitive when there is not enough scope to experiment. “In such times, I would turn to online acting masterclasses. I learnt that some actors get better with each ‘take’ and others, worse. I like to be spontaneous. For the auditorium scene in George Reddy, I told the director that I did not want to rehearse. The cinematographer set up the frame and captured it so well. If, for technical reasons, I have to repeat the same performance more than thrice, I get mechanical and have to pull up my socks.”
Despite having proved his mettle, it is a constant process to stay relevant. Thiruveer says he is often advised to create social media content to engage with his followers. The more the followers, the better are chances of landing films and advertisements. “But I prefer to just do my work. Given a choice I’d be off social media. The irony is that we filmed The Great Pre-wedding Show in 35 days and I have been promoting it for more than 40 days.”
Talking about how they completed filming in such a short time, he reminisces how the director approached him in August 2024, they began filming in November and completed it by early December. “He had the entire script in place; since he hails from northern Andhra, his two-hour narration of the story that unfolds in Visakhapatnam, Araku and Srungavarapukota resonated with flavour. The script-reading session also convinced us that we have entertaining material on hand. Everything was planned prior to shooting. The director earlier worked with Tamada Media and has experience in web series and digital content.”
The film stars Teena Sravya of Committee Kurrollufame as the female lead, several actors from theatre background and a few local actors who were selected after extensive auditions. “The beauty of a region’s mandalikam (dialect) lies in how it enhances the native flavour of a comedy,” says Thiruveer.
On an average, he listens to more than 20 stories a month. At times, none of them are interesting. On rare days, he might find two stories interesting. “I never wanted to do a 9-to-5 job, but this has become a 24/7 job of listening to stories,” he laughs. It can get tiring, he admits. “On some days I don’t even want to watch films after listening to so many stories.” How does he not lose his sense of judgement? “If a story does not make me curious or if my mind wavers, I know it’s not for me.”
Next up, he is part of a film produced by ETV Win and also has a web series and four new films.
Published – November 04, 2025 03:43 pm IST
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Thiruveer: I prefer to focus on acting than create social media content to enhance my visibility
