Actors go the extra mile to make their characters look convincing on screen, and for his next film, where he portrays a boxer, Telugu film star Varun Tej is following a rigorous routine. He wants to toil to not just act but also look the part.

He is training in Mumbai for the last couple of weeks under Rakesh Udiyar, who has trained the likes of Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, and also boxer Neeraj Goyat. “When you play a boxer, you need to look like one. These days, so much content is accessible that the audience won’t accept anything but the best. I also don’t believe in compromising on anything,” says Varun.

After Kanche, there was an influx of Bollywood offers and he was even asked to shift to Mumbai from Hyderabad. However, he didn’t want to move away from home, as he was just ‘setting his ground’ in the Telugu industry. “I still get offers but things somehow haven’t worked out, whether it’s due to my schedule or because I couldn’t connect with the story. But, I’d love to do Bollywood films, and any language, if the content resonates. Baahubali is a proof that good stories have no barriers,” says the nephew of popular south actors Pawan Kalyan and Chiranjeevi.