Just because my parents left Ramannagudem does not mean that I do not hail from Telangana.
As generations of my family have lived in Ramannagudem, I strongly associate myself with Telangana.
I am grateful that the people of Telangana supported me when I spoke in the Andhra accent, just as much as the people of Andhra embraced my Telangana dialect.
The main and the biggest issue is the formation of Telangana state, for which the people of this region have been fighting for the last 50 years. We want Telangana for the sake of justice. We want to get our due share in water and other resources of this region.
I was born here and have been in love with the colloquial Telangana dialect ever since. I even wrote a play titled 'Grahanam Pattina Ratri' that was set in the heart of the region. It was well received across literary circles.
I have tried for a year to work with the Telangana government.
It is not correct to say there is no place for Maoists in Telangana.
Jai Bolo Telangana' did very well and I am happy about that.
Earlier, directors shied away from having a character speak in the Telangana dialect but not anymore.
We want Telangana state with Hyderabad as its capital. We demand the Centre to grant the statehood for the region.
A major concern of some of us who were not sympathetic to the separate Telangana movement was with respect to the future of Hyderabad.
I will fight till my last breath for the sake of 3.5 crore people of Telangana. I am ready to make any sacrifice for them.
Hyderabad is a truly pan-Telugu metropolis that has come to accept the mix of Telangana's dakhni culture and the coastal region's Andhra culture.
Whether it's Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana or Odisha, we have seen similar patterns - hostile local politics transform into conciliation of some kind after the state elections.
I decided to plunge into the creation of Telangana. And I didn't to do it half-heartedly - didn't want people to point a finger at me and say, 'Look, another actor is using politics to get noticed.'
I am really excited at being the face of Hotstar in AP and Telangana because it is a streaming service that I use very often, and the brand is very young and edgy.