My father kept me grounded, says Ram Charan

Mumbai, Sep 3: Actor Ram Charan Teja, son of South superstar Chiranjeevi, says his upbringing has been very grounded and he wasn't allowed to watch movies or read film magazines as a child.

After a successful career down South, the 28-year-old actor is currently gearing up for his Bollywood debut with the remake of Amitabh Bachchan starrer hit 'Zanjeer'.

"I was brought up as a normal kid. He (Chiranjeevi) used to keep us away from films... No film magazines were allowed at home, no movie watching," Ram told PTI in an interview here.

"I used to rarely go on film sets as I felt it was very boring to see the same shot being done so many times. I felt I had nothing to do. I used to irritate the cameramen. Heroines were too old for me to even make a conversation. I used to get bored on films sets," he said.

He was 18 when Ram realised that he should take up acting as a career.

"I realised the opportunity I had at my door step. I wanted to take this opportunity to next level," he said.

On being the son of a superstar, Ram feels it has its share of advantages and disadvantages.

"I love shopping but I can't go out, I love going to restaurants and eating out with friends. So a bit of private life is taken away. Your responsibility increases, there is pressure as anything you do attracts media and it is scary at times," he said.

"But to some extent it has worked in my favour as I have become more positive, more responsible. The disadvantages later turned into advantages. It is like adapting to the situation," he added.

"It is not in midway that I was introduced as his son... I was born in that family. So I don't know the difference between born as an actor's son and not being an actor's son. I never knew whether it was good or bad," he said.

Meanwhile, his father seems to be excited about his son's debut in Bollywood.

"There was a special screening held recently... Our director Apoorva Lakhia went with a paper and pen to take notes to re-do or edit things... My dad said don't do anything. He felt its crisp, perfect. It was encouraging for all of us. It was the most memorable moment of my life," he said.

'Zanjeer' starring Priyanka Chopra, Sanjay Dutt and Prakash Raj will hit theaters on September 6.