The Master Tarun of then is now all of 19 and celebrating his return to celluloid, this time as an adult lead, in Nuvve Kavali, a remake of the Malayalam hit Niram.

Earlier, he had appeared in two television commercials, for Spinz Talc and Fanta, which in turn led to his bagging the film role.

His leading lady in Nuvve Kavali is Richa Palot, who was his female partner in the Fanta commercial.

Interestingly, Tarun has a celluloid pedigree, in that mother Roja Ramani was a onetime child star-turned-adult actress as well.

How many such pairs can you think of, where the mother starts off as a child star, grows into the female lead, with the son faithfully duplicating that careergraph?

Rajitha met Tarun on the sets of his second film, Uncle, then being shot on location at Public Gardens in Hyderabad.

And, a day later, caught up with his mother at their residence in Banjara Hills.

Curiously enough, when you ask for directions to his place, you hit a time warp. For the locals, it is as if Tarun is frozen in childhood, and still the cute Master Tarun, who stole hearts in Anjali.

Mother and son both spoke to rediff.com about themselves, and each other. Excerpts:

So how did Anjali happen?

Well, you heard my mom. She actually said, "No" to a Mani Ratnam movie. I mean, how could she? I am a huge fan of his!

You, a Mani Ratnam fan? How could you be? You were a kid then.

I had seen Agni Nakshatram and Nayagan, I liked them. So, when Mani Ratnam approached us, of course I accepted. It was such an honour.

How was the experience?

Oh, I enjoyed it. We were over 50 of us, kids, in that film, and we used to play cricket most of the time when we weren't shooting.

And now you've grown into an adult star. How has that experience been?

Well, in real life, I think I have finished growing up. But when it comes to films, even today some people call me Master Tarun on the sets!

As of now, I am in standard XII, so it is a pretty crucial year academically. At the same time, I am acting as male lead, so it is quite tough.

You have also done a teleserial...

Right. I did Wonderboy for Eenadu TV. I also did a quiz show for kids.

Trouble was, the shooting would be during the day for the quiz show, to enable the kids to participate. And that meant I would miss my classes. So I stopped.

How many films have you worked in as a child star?

Fourteen. Ramoji Rao was wonderful. He game me Teja, which is a bit like Home Alone. Then I did Manasu Mamata. I got the Nandi Awards for these two films.

I acted in a Malayalam film, Abhayan, about a kid who felt lonely, who was fettered by discipline and who runs away from home, goes to his grandfather's place... This film was, in fact, selected for the International Film Fest in Tokyo, 1993.

Then there was My Dear Muthachan. I don't remember the story though, but there was this wonderful actor in it (Thilakan).

I worked in the Tamil film, Meera, with Aiswarya (Lakshmi's daughter) and Vikram. I also did a film on the life of Don Bosco.

You are a recognisable figure in this part of the world, how do you cope with that at your age?

That's okay. I take it as it comes. Even as a kid, I used to be recognised. At times, I find it boring when strangers come up and ask me questions about the films I am doing. But I guess I just have to cope with that.

Your mom and dad both belong to the industry. Do they guide you?

They would like me to do good roles. My mother wants to know the script, she sits in during the narration and is quite particular about the banner. But the final decision is mine, really.

And no way does she come to the sets. They really don't make a fuss.

Tell us a little about your debut. How did it come about?

I did the Fanta television commercial. It was directed by Rajeev Menon (of Sapnay and Kandukondain Kandukondain fame), and that got me noticed.

That is how I got Nuvve Kavali, which is a remake of Niram. It has a wonderful script, a very young story, very nice.

Richa is also making her debut in this film. It has been fun. I hope it does well.

One thing I must mention. Again, it is Ramoji Rao who has given me this break.

Who are your favourite stars?

Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Manisha Koirala. And in Telugu, Ramya Krishnan.

Does the fact that you were a child star make it any easier for you now -- in, say, grasping the intricacies of acting better while playing your first adult lead?

Well, I enjoyed acting as a kid. I have won National and State awards.

But still, in the initial days of any project, I feel nervous. Basically, once I know the people involved, I tend to settle down. So I guess I'll be the same every time -- nervous at the start and more comfortable as we go along.

What next?

Well, I am doing Uncle, which is a story set in a campus. The thing is, I want to do roles that suit my age -- not ones where I am married or I am a superhero bashing up a dozen guys.

Maybe there will be a time for that later.

Right now, I want to act my age, so I will only sign those kind of roles.

I have also been offered a role by Bharati Raja, where I will be costarring with his son, Manoj.

I have already finished a telefilm, En Jeevane, produced by Radhika, where I play a young boy, a touch freaky... That is all I can tell you now since it hasn't been released yet.

Also read:
Roja Ramani on Tarun
The Nuvve Kavali review