Allu Sirish on working with Mohanlal

Allu Sirish is set to enter Malayalam cinema with 1971: Beyond Borders (1971: Bharatha Sarihaddu in Telugu). Apparently, this was something he was keen on from long. “I’ve watched a lot of Malayalam films and have always wanted to work here. I met director Major Ravi sir by chance. Maybe, this film was meant to happen. We got into a casual conversation and then he mentioned the film and asked if I would like to play this role. I said, ‘why not?’ I went to Kochi, heard the script, signed the film, and in three weeks, began shooting.”

Sirish plays a 24-year-old Tamilian tank commander in the film, for which he prepared a great deal. “We went to Suratgarh Army Base Camp, where I trained for 25 days to become Lt Chinmay. I learnt how to drive a tank on the training ground and spent time with the jawans; it was a huge learning experience. I understood quite a bit about their lives and the army’s functioning.”

Speaking about Mohanlal, his co-star in the film, Sirish shares, “Working with such a legend is like joining an acting master class! Seeing him work was a class in itself. And Ravi sir’s working style is quite different from the directors I’ve worked with so far. Off screen, he is very jovial, but on location, he is very strict. He is clear about what he wants,” he says signing off.