Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; August 25, 2019)

Till 2015, Prabhas was known as a Telugu film actor. One mega film — S S Rajamouli’s Baahubali — changed the course of his career. Today, he is a pan-India star, and the Baahubali hangover lingers on. It’s hard to believe, but his larger-than-life character in the movie is a stark contrast to his down-to-earth and reserved persona off-screen. Point it out, and the actor admits that he’s lazy and extremely shy in front of a crowd. With his next film, the trilingual Saaho, gearing up for release, the 39-year-old actor spoke to BT about the pressures that come with expectations from three film industries, cross-pollination in cinema and why he will never enter politics. Excerpts:

Baahubali and Saaho have two things in common — grand action scenes and you leading the show. However, Saaho is evidently different from the period film that catapulted you to pan-India fame. Clearly, a lot rides on your shoulders to bring this film a promising opening. Your thoughts…
I didn’t have that pressure when I worked on Baahubali, but this time around, the pressure is indeed high. I’m not the only one feeling it; the entire team feels it because everyone has worked hard on this project for about two years now. The response to the trailer of Saaho has somewhat eased that pressure because viewers seem to have liked what they have seen. Yes, the Baahubali effect will definitely be there; it’s not worn off yet and probably, never will. While I don’t want people to forget Baahubali, I don’t want them to recall it while watching Saaho. We wanted people to see me in a new avatar and we have consciously worked towards that. Also, for any film to work, it has to have content that appeals to people. That is what worked in Baahubali’s favour. I know that expectations are high because I’m a part of Saaho. If things don’t work out well, it will impact me, but we’ll think of that when we get there.

When Rajamouli approached you for Baahubali, he was already an established filmmaker. After working with him, you chose to work with Sujeeth (director of Saaho), who is just one-film old. Were you at any point apprehensive about the decision?
The pressure for this film to work is on each one of us and every film has its own risks. Having said that, the makers of this film have introduced a lot of new talent in the past. Sujeeth, too, has been a part of many projects before. The stress is high because we didn’t think that our budgets would escalate so much, which adds an element of risk. After Baahubali, we were pondering over what we should come up with next. We wanted to make a love story, but couldn’t find the right script. That’s when Sujeeth told me about Saaho. He has worked hard to add scale to the script. We also have a strong screenplay. When we heard the final narration, we were sure that we could go ahead with this film after Baahubali.

Talking about Saaho, there’s an interesting coincidence about it — while it is your first film in Hindi, it marks Shraddha’s debut in Telugu. Did the fact that you both were sailing in the same boat, help?
She was good with Telugu from the word go, she was also fantastic with romantic scenes. The chemistry seen in the film’s poster is thanks to her. On my first day of shoot in Hindi, I didn’t have lengthy scenes or dialogues. By the second-third day, Shraddha and I had hit it off well and I was getting comfortable with Hindi. I know how to read and write Hindi, but since it’s not our spoken language, there was a slight discomfort. I had a tutor on the set, who helped me speak correctly. Also, I insisted on the dialogues being written in Devnagri so that I could get my pronunciation right.

Coming back to Baahubali, has its success changed the way you choose scripts now?
Yes, that film changed the course of my career. If you look at the larger picture today, trends in cinema — from action to family to realistic films — change in a matter of months. So, it’s not easy to entertain the audience anymore. Even the biggest masters of cinema in the country can’t ensure what will work with the audience. So, for any actor, choosing a script is not easy. Today, people know me in almost all the states of India, thanks to my last film. But I don’t know what they will think of me after Saaho releases.

Do you realise that you are now catering to two different kinds of fan base — one that worships the star and the other that doesn’t forgive a star for making wrong choices in most cases?
Yes, I do realise that, and it’s an interesting space for an actor to be in. It’s hard to please people, who speak so many different languages and whose cinematic sensibilities are varied. The only way to work in a country with so much diversity in cinema is to go with a script that you firmly believe in. The rest will find its way.



At one point, competition for you was limited to Tollywood. However, after Baahubali, every top actor from across industries is potential competition for you. Does that ever unnerve you?
No… (smiles!) This divide between North, South, East and West will become a thing of the past. I don’t know when, but it will, for sure. Baahubali reiterated the fact that you can make a film, which can appeal to an entire nation. I remember, Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) had run in my mother’s village for around 100 days and my grandfather loved Salman Khan. It was a simple love story that appealed to so many people. Cross pollination between industries has always happened. Sholay (1975), too, inspired so many remakes down South. However, I don’t think we have consciously tried to make too many Indian films (movies that appeal to the audience across the country) in the real sense. Business is about competition, and instead of competing with one another internally, we can join hands and compete with the largest film industries in the world. We can take Hollywood head on. Slowly and steadily, there will be more films that will work nationally, erasing barriers and making us one of the biggest industries in the world. When Sachin Tendulkar hit a six, it didn’t matter if he hailed from Mumbai or Hyderabad. All that mattered was his batting skills.

As an actor, who has worked in almost all genres of cinema, what kind of films appeal to you on a personal level?
I like action films like Matrix, but my favourite film is Geetanjali (1989). It’s a Telugu film, which doesn’t even show a slap on screen. That’s me. I can like anything that strikes an emotional chord. As an actor, I only feel that I need to give something new to the industry.

With the kind of exposure you’ve had, have you ever thought about getting into filmmaking?
I don’t think I can take that route. As a director, there are too many things to pay attention to, why get tortured doing so much? (Laughs!) I love acting and I am happy doing that.

Many actors, particularly from the South, have stepped into politics. It almost seems like a natural transition in their lives as public figures. Will we ever seen you in the neta avatar?
My uncle (Krishnam Raju) was a star-turned politician, and once, during our summer holidays, we had campaigned for him. I was very young then, and I didn’t feel comfortable with it. I live for cinema and this is my life. It has made me who I am. Now, I am getting comfortable being in the public eye, but I can never become a politician. I respect them and I think they can do a lot for the nation, but I am not that person. I can only act and entertain.

It’s strange, but the fact is that most male actors from the South have not had a very long run in Bollywood. On the contrary, women from the South have ruled Bollywood for years...
The past will be what it is, but the future could well be different. Increasingly, we will have more actors who will cross over into different regions. At the end of the day, it is India that we’re catering to.

Your stardom has increased manifold in the last two years. Has it changed anything at home?
I was a star in Telugu cinema even before Baahubali released. My uncle was a star and my dad (Uppalapati Surya Narayana Raju) also made films. So, people at home know what stardom is. Also, it’s not like I had it easy. I had to work hard to go from one stage to another in my professional life. Baahubali was a dream that just happened. It made my family happy while it left me thinking, ‘Is this for real?’ My family is inundated with calls from people who simply want to meet me. In fact, my mother gets irritated at times. She just wants me to rest it out after a hard day’s work.