Director SS Rajamouli sat down for a candid chat with team Salaar, director Prashanth Neel and actors Prabhas and Prithviraj Sukumaran. In conversation, the usually shy Prabhas opened up about everything, from almost saying no to the project to suddenly being recognised worldwide post Baahubali’s release.
‘It was tough after Baahubali’
Prabhas was a top star in the Telugu industry for a few years when Baahubali made him a recognised name worldwide. Talking about how that was for him, the actor said, “It was tough after Baahubali. I didn’t know what to do. I suddenly went from the Telugu film industry to pan-India and the world.”
He explained how he used to be afforded privacy while travelling abroad and suddenly that was no longer the case. “I was in Italy and suddenly someone came up to me. They called me by my name, but they didn’t understand English. Someone else explained that the man had seen Baahubali, so he recognised me, and I blamed Rajamouli for my loss of privacy,” he added.
‘I said yes because my fans would kill me’
Post the release of Baahubali, Prabhas’ fans had high expectations from him. In fact, after the release of KGF: Chapter 1, many even opined that he should’ve starred in a film like that. “Everywhere I went, people spoke of KGF and I hadn’t seen the film yet,” said Prabhas, adding, “I was later introduced to Prashanth, but we’re both so shy we spoke about everything but working together. It’s only later that he approached me for Salaar.”
By then, Prabhas had committed to other projects and he was skeptical. “I considered saying no. But I thought, if my fans find out, they’ll kill me. I agreed despite being busy with Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD. Instead of the 45 days they initially asked, I ended up shooting for 102 days.”
About Salaar
Set in the fictional city of Khansar, Salaar: Part 1 - Ceasefire tells the story of two childhood friends, Deva and Vardha. When the latter’s succession is thrown into contention, he takes the help of his childhood friend to regain power. The film will hit screens on December 22, a day after Dunki’s release.