Actor Jr NTR, a third generation star from the popular Nandamuri clan, says he is proud to carry forward his family legacy as he believes it keeps him grounded and guides him in his career.

Having made his acting debut at the age of 17 with Telugu romantic drama “Ninnu Choodalani”, he also believes there’s no escape from what he calls the family “baggage”.

“I’ve been given the opportunity to carry (forward) the legacy with which people associate me; I can’t escape it even if I don’t like it. I take pride in carrying forward what’s been given to me,” Jr NTR told IANS in an exclusive interview.

Jr NTR is named after his grandfather, the late Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao — universally known as NTR. An acclaimed and hugely popular Telugu actor-filmmaker, he broke into politics and went on to become the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

“If there’s no load on you, no anchor point, we are free souls and we will be roaming around. We end up doing whatever we feel like. The baggage made me realise who I am and it has kept me grounded,” Jr NTR said.

With that comes a certain image. Does it mean he can do only certain kinds of films?

“I thought it restricted me to certain kinds of films. But I realised later that it didn’t, and that I was responsible for my choices. My son’s entry into my life changed the way I saw my career — and my general outlook towards life,” he added.

The birth of his son, Abhay Ram, three years ago taught him to be “genuine” in what he does.

“We keep thinking of what others feel when we do something. I was meant to be an actor and I realised that only after my son was born. I haven’t been fully genuine in what I’ve been doing. The best thing after my son is my work — and he taught me to be genuine,” he said.

This has been visible in Jr NTR’s last few outings such as “Naanaku Prematho” and “Janatha Garage”.

He sees Puri Jagannadh’s 2015 film “Temper”, released a year after his son was born, as the big turning point in his career.

“The films I’d like to watch and be a part of are completely different from the kind of films I did and even do now. I’m not complaining because it’s all about success in this commercially-driven industry. But later, I also realised it’s all about personal satisfaction, which I was missing in my career,” he said.

“Temper” gave his career a much-needed high, he said. “I needed to have a journey of my own to tell my son tomorrow. To even discuss my journey with my family, I have to set an example. Life needs to be like a roller-coaster ride with ups and downs. Otherwise, it’s not exciting,” he added.

Jr NTR’s new Telugu film, “Jai Lava Kusa”, is slated for release on Thursday. He plays a triple role in the movie.

Talking about the film, he said: “More than getting excited about playing three characters, it’s the emotional angle of the script which got me hooked. This film could be made without the triplets because it’s got such potential.”

“This could have been a nice multi-starrer. But Bobby (director) wanted to make it with triplets and the film was designed on this premise. It’s about three brothers. My brother is producing the film and this is a special film for both of us.”

Young Tiger NTR is ready to take the box office by storm with the highly awaited emotional thriller Jai Lava Kusa which has him playing a triple role for the first time in his career. The film, a Bobby directional, is going to be one of the biggest ever releases in the history of Telugu cinema with a massive screen count in all areas.

In Nizam, the film is getting a humongous release through Dil Raju in more than 450 screens with 5 shows per day. In Hyderabad alone, Jai Lava Kusa is set to open in nearly 100 screens. Also, in areas like Guntur and Vijayawada, the film is likely to open in record number of screens on its first day. In Uttarandhra, majority of theatres in all major cities all going to be occupied with Jai Lava Kusa, making it the highest release for NTR.

In overseas, too, the film is set to embark on a tremendous box office run with sensational openings. As of this writing, Jai Lava Kusa has been confirmed to release in more than 185 locations in US alone. The premiers collections are going to be very huge as the advance bookings are quite solid in all locations.

With such a gigantic release on cards, trade analysts predict that the film is on track to topple the current records by a large margin. The Dussehra holidays and the lack of competition at the box office untill SPYder’s release will be an added advantage for the film to register solid numbers in all areas.

Keep watching Telugu360 for fast and reliable trade updates on Dussehra biggies.

Tarak who is actively promoting his new flick Jai Lava Kusa, gazes at the different models of mobile phones put at his table for recording the interview, smiles and says “Technology it is!” Speaking at a press meet he said, “Technology has evolved so well, previously we used to wait for the newspaper next day. Now as I speak, there is a news about me on social media”.

Responding to the allegations of abusive posts by his fans on social media, he said, “Just because someone has junior NTR’s photograph, doesn’t imply that they are my fans.” He says that there is no guarantee or any solid proof that his fans are spreading negativity. Furthermore, Tarak came back with a pinch of sarcasm saying that Twitter should have a feature wherein a person can register as fan of a particular hero. He said, “There is no point in accusing my fans of negativity because I don’t know if they (people who abuse) are really my fans.”

When asked how he feels about social media’s intrusion in his life, Tarak says “Social media is a package and everything that comes with it is a part and parcel”. He advises users to stop being pessimistic and enjoy the in and out of social media as “It is your choice, whom you want to allow in your life and whom want to keep at a distance.”