Nagarjuna says he never went looking for roles in Hindi films

Nagarjuna’s guest appearance in the recently-released Brahmastra marked his first Hindi film in almost two decades. The actor, who predominantly works in the Telugu film industry, explained why he doesn’t do much work in Bollywood. He also revealed the reason he decided to work in Brahmastra after rejecting several ‘incredible’ roles in Hindi films over the years.

Nagarjuna made his Bollywood debut with the 1990 film Shiva. He has since worked in Hindi films like Khuda Gawah, Drohi, and Zakhm among others. His portrayal of Major Padmapani Acharya in LOC Kargil (2003) marked his last Hindi film before Brahmastra.

In a recent conversation with PTI, Nagarjuna shared why he has been away from the Hindi film industry for almost 20 years. He said, “I was getting incredible roles. (But) I am kind of a home bird. I like to live in Hyderabad. I always did very special roles in Bollywood. Whatever I have done right from the beginning, it was important for me to entertain people. All the roles that I did came looking for me, I never (went for them).”

The actor further explained, “Here working in Bollywood, I look at it for experience and soul satisfaction as they call it and doing roles which are not on my shoulders. It has always been like that.” He said that he chose to do Brahmastra, in which he features as an artist Anish Shetty who wields Nandi Astra, as it seemed like a ‘rare opportunity’ at a time when all film industries in India are transforming into one industry.

Brahmastra, led by Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Mouni Roy, and Shah Rukh Khan among others. The Ayan Mukerji film released in theatres on September 9. Nagarjuna is now preparing for the release of The Ghost, an action thriller film directed by Praveen Sattaru.