July 02, 2012 Y. Sunitha Chowdhary
This exuberant and amiable comedian has a repertoire of over 260 films and we have seen him doing mostly an office assistant role countless times. His style is flexible, full of ease, comfort and exudes a care a damn attitude. "I'm like that in real life too," says Duvasi Mohan. He is from Jagityal in Karimnagar district and entered the industry as a producer and a then a financier and later turned into an artiste.
He recollects, "I was neither a stage artist nor did I have any backing or friends from the industry when I came here. I was a novice and had none to counsel me on the basics of cinema production. The person who introduced me into films was a doctor and he too had no knowledge. We looked at movies as a business and embarked on four films hoping to get profits but all we were left with were loans and losses.
I still believe I have a future here and the industry continues to encourage and protect me, some day I see myself occupying a respectable position. As of now I am happy and have no regrets, it makes me happy when people who hardly know me and absolute strangers bump into me at some point and compliment me on my work. They ask why my appearances have turned minimal and that I'm capable of doing better roles."
Duvasi, that is how he is fondly addressed in the Telugu film industry states that he is Duvasi Mohan Kumar but his name was abridged as his luck curtailed. "First people stopped calling me Kumar when I was a failure as a producer, then they eliminated the word Mohan as I stopped financing films and now as I turned into an actor they call me Duvvasi. In a way my surname reminds me my responsibility towards my family and that is satisfying.
The actor adds that riches and luxury doesn't move him or carry him away, he's seen crores, lakhs, thousands and also a hundred rupee note. He quips, "I have no vices but I believe that even if you have one of them, your circle and PR grows and you get films. I haven't grown from being an office assistant or a servant, constable to more mature roles.
Nenu cinema lo edagatledhu, vaala manasulllo edagatledhu but the failure has taught me value for a lot of things. I am sure to make it one day and my belief is very strong."
