No wonder then, Tollywood heartthrob Prabhas was literally sweating it out when Hyderabad Times caught up with him in between shots of his new film. Considering that the mercury is soaring, isn’t it reason enough for him to take a break? “First the media blames us stars for not doing more films. But when we are shooting you want us to take a break. Not fair!” he laughingly puts it.
Prabhas claims that it takes time for “everything to fall in place” before the actual shoot of a film can commence. “Once the shooting starts we don’t mind whether it is 43 degrees plus or minus 6 degrees, we just keep working,” he says. The actor is known to have travelled in an auto for a recent film role. Has he done that in real life? “Of course! I used to travel in autos and buses during my school and college days,” he replies. Being the scion of an affluent family, wasn’t he pampered? “We were pampered but our family taught us how to lead a balanced lifestyle,” he reasons.
His latest release Billa, the fourth remake of the Bollywood blockbuster Don, has turned out to be a moderate hit here. “We specifically designed Billa as a slick action film and it succeeded,” he says with relish. But didn’t he feel the film went on to be a blockbuster because it had more style than substance?
“Probably, the theme was repetitive, but we gave it our best shot. I also realised that blockbusters can never be made, they just happen,” he reasons. However his dream to share screen space with his uncle, veteran actor Krishnam Raju, was fulfilled. “I’ll always cherish it,” he says.
After playing a social deviant in Billa, Prabhas is now essaying a contrasting role in new film Ek Niranjan. “It’s a different role with lot of responsibility. Kangna Ranaut, my co-actor is a talented actress and great co-star too,” he adds. Does he think that his macho image has confined him to action films.
“My maiden blockbuster Varsham was an intense love story,” he replies. He reiterates that he was always game for variety. “I explored contrasting roles and themes and films like Pournami, Chakram and Bujjigadu added some variety to my career” he opines. But he feels that a couple of solid hits would have given a “fillip to my career.”
While many young actors prefer to flaunt their ‘filmi’ friendships, Prabhas thinks differently. His close friendship with Gopichand and Allu Arjun is kept under wraps. “Friendship is a personal issue and it should remain that way. But we do keep in touch,” he elaborates. He also differs from his peers, by not being a “party animal” and claims to attend only “private dos” of close friends only. A workaholic indeed!
It is known news that the young rebel star Prabhas has teamed up with the crazy success director Puri Jagannadh and is currently busy with the shooting of their new movie ‘Ek Niranjan’.
