Sudheer Babu, who is carving a niche for himself in Telugu cinema, has been making interesting movie choices.
His Telugu film, Bhale Manchi Roju, directed by debutante Sriram Adittya, is set to release on Christmas Day.
Sudheer has now got an opportunity to act in Baaghi, which stars Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor.
In the midst of a hectic shooting schedule for Baaghi in Bangkok, Sudheer took time off to have a telephonic conversation with Radhika Rajamani/Rediff.com.
Was the story of Bhale Manchi Roju the main attraction for signing the film?
The story is very different. When Sriram (the director) narrated it, I couldn't guess what was happening every few minutes. The thrill element was something new.
The thought behind the script was fresh. The story takes place in a day -- in fact between 6 am and 8 pm -- during office hours.
It is about a person who comes out with a purpose. He meets people and faces problems on the way. At one point, he thinks it is his worst day ever but it becomes his best day.
I was slightly nervous about non-formulaic subjects. After Prema Katha Chitram's success, I realised we could do different subjects in non-formulaic films as well so long as the audience had fun throughout in the film.
Bhale Manchi Roju is not formulaic but has these fun elements. There is no intro song for the hero. Every character has a purpose. There is no hero, villain or comedian. The script delivers both the heroism and the fun.
Is the film inspired by any other film which deal with such time spans?
It is not inspired. It is a different film.
The thought is fresh. The director, Sriram, is new. He did not even work as an assistant director. He is not influenced by any filmmaker.
I saw some of his short films where he created suspense with tables, chairs and phones. I was confident I could do his film.
Bhale Manchi Roju is like a suspense, comic thriller.
How did you prepare for the role?
It has been my easiest role. The character is one of a boy-next-door so there was no huge ground work. I only needed to observe people. The performance came naturally.
Were you apprehensive that the film was being directed by newcomer Sriram Adittya, who seems to have made you do a number of takes?
Sriram looks for perfection. He is new, enthusiastic and has energy. Sriram is amazing. I have never seen a guy who is so confident. Without even working as an assistant director, I wonder how he made this film at the age of 24.
Generally, Sriram would say 'superb' in the first take. Then, because of his uncertainty, he would say let us take one more for variation. I had to give him confidence. He was initially scared of me but I gave him freedom.
You have two heroines -- Wamiqa who is making her debut in Telugu and Dhanya -- in the film. Do you have scenes with both of them?
Yes, both the heroines are there. You have to watch the film to see at what stage of the journey they come in.
Wamiqa is from Punjab and is making her debut. She is a livewire on and off screen. Normally, non-Telugu speaking actresses's accent and pronunciation is a bit hard to catch. But Wamiqa learnt to pronounce her words properly.
Dhanya can speak Telugu and is a good performer. She has an important role in the film.
How was it shooting for this film as you had to get the whole look, feel and expressions of a day even though the film was shot over a period of time?
Most of the time, we shot the scenes in sequential order to maintain the continuity of emotion. Shamdat, the director of photography, has done big projects like Vishwaroopam and Uttama Villain. He is a good actor and would act and show me what I needed to do. He did not use a single light outdoors!
Where did you shoot this film?
We shot it in Hyderabad, sometimes in real locations. We shot a song Chalti ka naam gaadi in the market place, at bus stops with real people who did not know they were being captured on camera. We got natural expressions from them.
What does this film mean for you?
It has given me a lot of satisfaction.
Many people want to become directors. I am happy to identify the talent in a director and be part of his journey towards achieving his dream.
Sriram will go ahead but will remember me forever.
I am very excited and I am sure people will like this film especially, those who liked Prema Katha Chitram. Like PKC, this will be another trend-setting film.
