Lucky to be the chosen one: Prabhas

The last time Prabhas came to Kochi for the promotions of the first part of Baahubali, he was relatively unknown. The shy actor preferred to smile and remain silent while the rest of the cast did all the talking. Cut to the present and it was Prabhas who was the centre of attraction at the promotional event in Kochi. Though he preferred to keep quiet, the choice was taken out of his hands when all the questions were directed at him. Prabhas recalled his association with director S.S. Rajamouli for the past 13 years right from his film Chatrapathi. He continues, “I understood that he was trying to make something very big — script, making and grandeur wise — and I was lucky to have been offered that role.”

Rumours of the bulked up hunk’s marriage being postponed because of the film’s extended shoot were doing the rounds to which he smiled and said, “No, that’s not true.” Asked if he was nervous owing to raised expectations after the first part’s huge success, Prabhas responds, “During the first part, we were all very nervous because we were all blind as far as the making was concerned and the budget was huge. Also the story stops at the point where Kattappa kills Baahubali; so it was a nervous situation.” The audience acceptance, he says, boosted the morale of the cast.

An unusual question was thrown when he was asked if VFX effects would eliminate the need for actors to which Prabhas pointed to art director Sabu Cyril and said, “We were worried about that because tomorrow this man could make us go out of business because he can create anything.” A pertinent question that turned up was if the cast and crew including himself were worried about the suspense being leaked after the first day of the show to which he agreed. Prabhas says, “We have all worked a lot and somebody might leak it to friends and family but please respect the makers who gave years of their lives for this film and try not to.” When asked if Prabhas would be a part of the Rs 1000 crore Mollywood film Mahabharata, he quips, “I think Mohanlal sir is playing Bheema; if he leaves any character for me and I get a chance, I will take it.”