Popular Bollywood heroes like Sanjay Dutt, Saif Ali Khan, Arjun Rampal and Bobby Deol are gearing up to debut in Tollywood, as baddies! And Tollywood filmmakers have moved on from casting Hindi actresses like Deepika
Padukone, Janhvi Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kriti Sanon, Ananya Panday, etc., as leading ladies.
While Tollywood has been known to ‘import’ baddies, what’s interesting is that this time, they’re turning to heroes from the Hindi film world to play anti-heroes in their big-ticket films.
WHY THIS FASCINATION FOR BOLLYWOOD A-LISTERS?
Anil Ravipudi, who has cast Arjun Rampal in his upcoming Telugu film, starring
Balakrishna, says he wanted someone who is fit, stylish and lends a fresh appeal to the part.
He felt Arjun’s swag would hold good across all industries. “I want my villain to look as stylish as the protagonist. Arjun’s roles in Hindi films over the years have been very versatile; hence I felt that roping him as a baddie would give my film fresh appeal,” says Anil who adds that Arjun is an actor who you can mould into any role.
DREAM CAST
Riding on the success of the grand historical saga Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, director Om Raut has moved on to yet another epic, Adipurush.
Starring Prabhas, the film is based on the Ramayana. The director has cast Saif Ali Khan as Raavan. When we asked him the reason for his choice, Raut said Saif ’s role as one of the antagonists in Tanhaji... was so impressive that he wanted to work with him again.
Revealing that he had Saif in mind when writing the script of Adipursh, Raut
added, “More importantly Saif liked the way I have written and designed his character. So I have to say I am lucky.” Saif had to undergo a remarkable physical transformation for the part, and also a few psychological traits of
Ravan, he adds. Saif is also playing a baddie in Jr. NTR’s film directed by Koratala Siva.
HANDSOME PAY CHEQUES
Tollywood films now have global reach! And if the producers are game to offer hefty pay cheques, naturally actors will be keen to come on board.
Producers are reportedly offering these actors handsome remunerations that are
too good to resist.
Sanjay Dutt, who played the menacing Adheera in the KGF series, was reportedly offered a fat pay cheque for his upcoming Telugu debut
(yet-to-be-titled film) starring Prabhas. That’s because Sanjay has been in huge
demand in the South after the KGF blockbuster.
“The package that was offered to Sanjay was pretty cool,” comments a source in
the know. Since Prabhas is a superstar, the filmmakers wanted an actor as an antagonist who has a larger-than-life image and looks as powerful as Prabhas.
By casting Sanjay, they can also get better eyeballs in other languages,
since Sanjay’s presence will help them push the film into other territories and get revenue.”
Ditto with Bobby Deol! The makers of Hari Hara Veera Mallu, starring Pawan
Kalyan, initially wanted to cast Arjun Rampal as antagonist and Mughal emperor
Aurangzeb. But they later roped in Bobby Deol for the part in the period drama.
Apparently, Bobby was offered a lucrative deal.
TAKING THE GAMBLE
Bobby Deol, who like Sanjay Dutt and Saif Ali Khan, was a popular Bollywood hero, but is now focusing on negative and character roles, says “I am trying to do different stuff,” when asked why he had agreed to come on board of HHVM. “I have seen the film’s director Krish’s work and was totally in awe,” he
added. The success of Ashram turned things around for Bobby. “The
more versatile you become the more chances you can get to take. Not every
chance works, but that’s the gamble I took with Ashram and it paid off. I
wanted to challenge myself like I did in Love Hostel,” Bobby adds.
NUANCED PERFORMANCE
Tollywood continues to experiment with actors who were hits as heroes not just
in the 90’s and 2000’s but also with those who became stars in the last
d e c a d e .
Nawazuddin Siddiqui has played roles with grey shades in a few Bollywood blockbusters. The multitalented actor is now making his Telugu debut.
He has a key role in Sailesh Kolanu’s action thriller Saindhav, starring Venkatesh.
“It’s a character that needs a nuanced performance. And Nawaz bhai is as versatile as you can get,” says the filmmaker. “We need a realistic performance and if you look at Nawaz bhai’s career arc, it’s filled with raw, rustic and authentic performances. So, if not him, who else,” he added.
