For Nagarjuna, there was more than just money riding on Kuberaa. Its success would determine the path ahead for the superstar. With the crime drama having reportedly earned about R81 crore in the domestic market, we can hear the smile in Nagarjuna’s voice as he gets on the call for his first interview post the release. “Kuberaa is different from what I or director Sekhar Kammula was doing before. It was important for the movie to succeed so that we get the courage and strength to do more films with different subjects,” says the actor of the June 20 release that also stars Dhanush and Rashmika Mandanna.

Courage isn’t the only outcome of a successful film. As Nagarjuna puts it, “Success makes you love your job.” This is especially true when one has been working for 39 years. “Longevity is quite difficult to achieve, especially in our field. Success and love for the job go hand-in-hand. I was fortunate that success was always around the corner.”

(L-R) Rashmika Mandanna, Nagarjuna and Dhanush in the film