Telugu actor Charan Peri is receiving acclaim for his performance as Ravi in Sony LIV's latest Telugu series ‘Bench Life'. Amidst the success of the series, which streamed on Thursday, Charan spoke exclusively to Mathrubhumi, sharing his remarkable journey of landing the role, courtesy of his engaging Instagram reels.

He also delved into his enriching experience of working alongside Telugu veterans Tanikella Bharani and Rajendra Prasad, and the valuable lessons he learned from them on the set. Furthermore, Charan offered a unique perspective on the challenges of dubbing, revealing that lending his voice to another actor's performance is far more daunting than taking on a role himself.

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Excerpts:

Q. What drew you to the role of Ravi in ‘Bench Life’?

When I first heard the story, I saw myself in the role. That is all I need when I am doing something. I thought that people would really enjoy watching the character on the screen. Ravi’s character is highly relatable. He always wanted to go to Goa with his friends; it’s something that I intended on doing too when I was in my early 20s. All the stuff that he does without the knowledge of his wife is very funny.

Q. How was your experience of working with debutant director Manasa Sharma?

She’s very good at what she does and exactly knows what she wants from the actor, which makes it interesting to work with her. She had planned every dialogue and every scene in her head, and was very clear with how she wanted to direct it. You simply have to replicate what she says. I’m very lucky to have got her as my first director.

Q. You got to share screen space with veteran actors Tanikella Bharani and Rajendra Prasad. How was the experience?

They taught me so many things. Rajendra Prasad Garu is very sweet. He used to take out time, sit with me, and talk about how I performed scenes and how I could do them better. Even Bharani Garu used to talk to me about how I should carry the character and its emotional drama from episode to episode. There are a lot of things that these two veterans actors taught me; I feel blessed to have worked with them. 

Q. Your social media content is very engaging. What inspired you to create such relatable content?

I used to write comic sketches in my notepad but I never shot or did anything with them. After my graduation, I used to work with a company where in the office I would write random things. One day I thought of making a video and uploading it on Instagram to see the kind of response I get for it. I’m actually scared of going to production houses and giving auditions. So, I used to sit at home, write my scripts, shoot videos myself, and upload them. It thankfully connected well with the audience.

Q. Is it true that your social media videos are what got you through ‘Bench Life’?

My director Manasi Sharma saw my videos on Instagram and felt that maybe I can play a character that is funny, young, energetic, and who is always around people.

Q. How have you been striking a balance between acting and creating online content?

I’m not making content at the moment. I slowed it down after I signed up for ‘Bench Life’. Once we started shooting, my social media content started to reduce because I was concentrating on the series. You can’t be everywhere. Also when you’re playing a role, I should be in the character; I can’t make something else. I believe that I should stick to one thing at a time.

Q. You’ve previously dubbed for Adivi Sesh-led ‘Major’. How does dubbing differ from acting?

Dubbing is very hard. I had one of my friends who knew people in the ‘Major’ team. They were searching for a guy who could dub for an army officer’s role. It’s very hard. I got scolded very often. Even if it was a one-page dialogue, I would go for 10-15 days. Dubbing is definitely hard. When I’m playing a scene, I can dub for myself because I know how I’ve acted or how much time I take to deliver each line. But when you have to dub for somebody else, it's very hard. You have to match their lip-pacing movement’ even the breath you take, should be correct.

Q. Are you willing to explore more as a voice artist?

I would definitely love to explore it more but I haven’t got any dubbing project after ‘Major’. I did get a couple of offers but I didn’t go ahead with them. Having said that, I would like to dub for a nice Malayalam film, if I get an opportunity.

Q. What is next for you after ‘Bench Life’?

There is a beautiful project which I have signed recently. It’s a fun ride. It’s going to be a theatrical film. I can’t talk much about it right now but it’s going to be huge. People will know very soon about it.