I’m really looking forward to watching Dunkey yeah I mean I’m a huge uh Shah ruk Khan fan and of course I’m a huge Rajkumar hanani fan and uh I’m really looking forward to watching Dunkey and as a film lover uh I think it is the greatest holiday season ever at least in
Kerala because we have salar we have donkey and we have n which is a mohan jitu Joseph film and they are collaborating after theim to I’m not as nice a guy as Pras is why do you say that no because he is just incredible like he see what I I must have been
There with him for I don’t know 7500 days every day every day I have seen him and not just to me to everyone on set asking them would you like some food to be sent are you comfortable is there anything you want this guy does not sit
Down of this another person without a chair standing and he is just that guy day in day out all through I haven’t watched animal yet so I can’t comment on animal but I of the because I’m a filmmaker also I’m of the opinion that as a filmmaker if you think you need to
Shoot graphic violence to be able to say the story the way you want to say it you should have the Liberty to do it hi Prat hello how are you I’m good are you oh good uh do you like Bombay in general of course I do you do yeah I
Mean my my wife uh thinks of this as a home City yeah and because she spent all of her professional career almost all of her in Bombay so I do have a house actually in Bombay and though I I live in coachin yeah and um to me this is uh
Since my wife is from here like she thinks she’s a Bombay girl okay this is like second home for me so of course I like Bombay lovely lovely uh but we are so glad you here we finally like I told you caught hold of you because we don’t
Get to very often but welcome again and uh okay so uh salar we’re going to talk about it your next big release um I read that you know Mr SS Raja MO is the first one who actually bought the ticket uh yes you know tell me a little bit about
You know what does that support that you know sense of Brotherhood you know from people of the same fraternity mean to you no it’s amazing at least you know um he is probably the biggest filmmaker the country has at the moment uh probably one of the biggest International Brands
India has is SS rajoli sir and for him to come out and extend that support to us not just about buying the first ticket he actually interviewed uh Prashant prabas and myself and we had a long 2 and a half hour long conversation about salar about Cinema about his kind
Of film making for him to be taking that time off and coming and supporting a film with which he is not necessarily involved within any capacity is just amazing it’s a humbling experience that uh somebody with that kind of clout and influence uh can go out there and help
Uh a friend’s film or another film from his own industry and to make sure that you know we get that visibility Raji sir interviewing us gives us more visibility you know he doesn’t need to do it uh so it was wonderful it was amazing and i’
I’ve known Raja for a while now he’s that kind of a person he is just a really really nice person yeah will we see you walking with him and I sure hope so I pray I get to work with him someday like probably every actor in the country
I am I’m also hoping and praying that someday I get to be directed by him yeah yes yes um okay so you know this is one thing that I think connects you and prabas Sir uh which I really admired you stated in an interview recently that uh
You know you had a role on paper but you know it was because of prabas s to certain extent that you know it probably got extended a little bit while you were shooting so more than yeah I did actually but more than my role getting extended which it did what we really
Sort of discovered and fleshed out from the script even more so is the bond between these two characters right it was always a film about two friends from the ideation stage the story was about these two people about daa and V which was a surprise I know I after um so I
Listened to the first narration of salar much much before the general public got to know about such a project right I mean this was during the shoot of kgf2 right that prashan the first time over a zoom told me the idea of salar and I was very surprised because when you think of
The director of the KJ franchise making a film with pra who one of the country’s biggest stars you don’t anticipate it being a story about two friends you don’t anticipate it being a story about the bonding between two men and that really surprised me and full credit to
Prabas for being secure enough for being confident enough for being magnanimous enough to say that no this is a film that needs to be made and U the that character has to be played by so and so and we really have to make the film about these two people uh and as we
Progressed in in the shoot uh I I remember Prashant telling me that I always knew it was going to be a story of two people but to get this together what is happening on screen is something that you know that’s pleasantly surprising me too so from what is
Written to what is in the film today I think you’ll see a lot more about the bonding about these two absolute friends who can kill and die for each other true and then what happens between them yes so that’s exactly what I was coming to you know the sense of security that
You’re talking about I mean uh I also heard somewhere that you know you actually passed on the role of ibraim in kurui to Ros and Matthew you know this is something and it’s so nice to see that you know two such big stars you and Pras are you know having this
Sense of security um tell me something has this stemmed over time or were you always you know this sense of security was always there does for the lack of a better word selfishness of an actor never take precedence you know what it comes from absolute selfishness it comes from absolute selfishness and
Knowledge of knowing that if you have a fantastic role in a film that doesn’t work it doesn’t matter people are going to forget the film and you but if you have a role that works in a film that works that that is what will count so if you are an actor who’s intelligent
Enough you will always know that you have to put the film first right uh you could have a mind-blowing character and if the film does not work people will not remember the character but if you’re part of a film that works people will always remember the film and your
Character and people like prabas they know this better than anyone you know prabas knows that for salar to work the bond between daa and V will have to work yeah so he knows that U I know for salar to work that daa will have to work the most discussions the most suggestions I
Have given Prashant the most number of times I walked up to Prashant and told him listen I think there’s another way to do the scene are not about my scenes they’re all about Pras scenes Pras will tell you this Prashant will tell you this it I I’m I’ve always believed that
Your first priority should be the film itself yeah what you do in the film should be your second priority because ultimately your aim as an actor should be to build towards the vision of the director and to make sure you’re part of a film that works right uh so it’s from
That thought process that selfish thought process that I have to be part of a film that works no matter what that you then start thinking no it’s not about me it’s about the film lovely that’s so lovely uh you said that you know pravas is uh blissfully delightfully unaware of his stardom I
Mean this might not you might not be the right person to answer this but do you also feel the same about yourself me no I’m not as nice a guy as Pras is why do you say that no because he is just incredible like he uh see what I I must
Have been there with him for I don’t know 7500 days every day every day I have seen him and not just to me to everyone on set asking them would you like some food to be sent are you comfortable is there anything you want this guy does not sit down with this
Another person without a chair standing and he is just that guy day in day out all through right I’m not that nice I’m know I’m I have to be honest yeah he’s just he’s one of the biggest stars of the country and probably the only person
Who does not know this is himself and he’s really delightful that way and he’s it’s impossible to be uncomfortable with with him yeah if you ever meet him and if you get a chance to interview him you’ll you’ll see what I mean yes yes that’s true okay uh so uh salar has
Received an a certificate um you have compared it to you know something like Game of Thrones yeah uh would would you say that you know the fact that it has received an a certificate will perhaps you know cut down a certain chunk of the audience from watching it well I I
Assume is that something well I assume children will not be allowed in theaters which is understandable because there a film certified a but I also know that without the violence salar will not be what salar is because the violence in the film is very much a character of the
Plot of the premise and it’s a screenplay instrument to further the drama I keep comparing it to Game of Thrones because salar is very much a drama uh you know in spite of all spectacular action the violence the huge production design the massive sets everything salar is essentially about
Relationships about what happens between these two people right not just about these two people there are a host of characters and it’s very intricate character Dynamics and it’s a drama beautifully written drama which is why the comparison to Game of Thrones and uh and I I completely understand why
Prashant decided that rather than make a few cuts and get a UA I’d rather keep the violence as it is and get an A because if you if he had made those cuts I think the film would have been incomplete but are you a Game of Thrones
Fan yeah I I love the it’s easily one of the best written streaming service materials ever so I mean of course after a point you felt like the makers are pressured into sort of going on with it which which happens across networks across series you know it always happens but on on a
Base level it’s just a wonderfully written series absolutely very true you since you’re talking about violence in a film and you rightfully said that you know perhaps the violence here in salar is is a character in itself uh you know we recently saw animal it’s it’s creating you know ripples at the box
Office also you know grabbed a lot of attention for its violence quotient U do you think that has also somewhere cemented your confidence in you know salar being a violent film so I haven’t watched animal yet so I can’t comment on animal but I am of the because I’m a
Filmmaker also I’m of the opinion that as a filmmaker if you think you need to shoot graphic violence to be able to say the story the way you want to say it you should have the Liberty to do it because ultimately after having made the film you are submitting it to a regulatory
Authority called the sensor board to and then they tell you that listen your film is going to be certified such and such which means only such and such sections of the audience can watch your film right so our responsibility as a filmmakers to make sure that we submit
It to the sensor board how we make the film should be left to us because the audience has already been told this is certified such and such because it has violence because it has nudity or whatever you know it has already been said so censorship should happen at the
Exhibition sector make sure that you know who goes into the theater and who gets to see the film other than that the filmmaker I because I’m an artist I I’ve always believed that we should have the liberty of making what we want to but of course who sees the material should be
Regulated as it is absolutely right yeah uh you know pan Indian films is like the order of the day today um so you are now you know directing Lucifer too so you know when especially when you take over the director’s chair and you make a film
Uh does that pressure of giving it a pan Indian multilingual release come to your mind ever so the first thing to understand here is that you cannot make a pan Indian film the film becomes pan Indian you don’t set out thinking let me make a pan Indian film this is a
Discussion I’ve had with m multiple corporates across you know discussion tables like these where I’ve told them no we are thinking wrong you know when you start asking me can that character be done by someone from Hindi can that character be done on someone from telu you are essentially doing this I
Understand to make sure that the film has relatability across languages because actors from various languages are in it absolutely but then you look at all the pan Indian successes they didn’t make the film a success because of who’s in it let’s assume a bahubali the beginning of the whole movement it was
Essentially completely you know made from Tel Stars let’s look at kgf let’s look at Kara in even more you know probably gratifying example so you don’t make a pan Indian film you choose a script I mean you choose a story that you want to say you write a script and
Then you stay honest to what’s on paper and try and make the best version of that script of course you want your film to be viewed by people across the country where a normal small small scale industry specific film and a pan Indian film will differ it’s at the other end
Of the spectrum how you release it how you Market it how you go around you know like say today salar is I don’t know an A-list release in every language in India right right it is an A List released in Hindi in telu in Canada in Malayalam in Tamil everywhere there it
Differs as you’re making the film you’re making an honest film you’re not making a pan Indian film yeah so that is I think something that we need to come to terms with because everybody is after the pan Indian pie that is right yeah okay so tell me something honestly U
Let’s say tomorrow you get a script okay from a it’s a Canada Canada film and uh so what happens is sometimes your charact your you as an actor perfectly fit into the shoes of the character and sometimes you as an actor can figure it out that okay I might be cast in this
Film for this character so that the makers at large can perhaps capture the Malayalam Market do you sometimes figure that out why you are being cast yeah so classic case in example is salar right when home Bal films in fact salar was first pitched to me by home Bal films at
The end of a discussion where we were discussing the possibility of me directing something for home and they told me Prashant would like to pitch a character because we are doing this dick film that Prashant is directing and Pras is starring in and my immediate reaction
Within Myself is to say no right I’m getting prepared to say no because this is exactly what I thought I’m thinking oh okay this must be like some 4 500 CR film that they’re making and they’re going to try and get stars from various Industries to sort of cushion each market and all
That all that thinking flew out of the window at the first narration because I realized that Prashant is not thinking that way for Prashant it was not about this guy from that industry this guy from this industry at least for Prashant because I know him personally now I kind
Of know how he works it was purely based on who he thinks is the best bet for his character and uh I’m I know this for a for a fact because at one particular point in time o to the pandemic and various different other things there was
A point where I thought I will not be able to do salar and I met Prashant and I told him I would have loved to do this film but unfortunately it looks like I’m not going to be able to do it Prashant and prabas stopped the shoot and they
Reworked the entire schedule around wow make sure that they somehow get me which then tells you that if Prashant Neil wanted a star he could have got anyone you know he could have got it’s not I’m not the only option if a star is all that he wanted he he’s Prashant Neil you
Know and he could have and after kgf2 absolutely yeah he could have gone to anybody for him it was no in my mind praj is D rajar so uh I am also equipped enough as a filmmaker and as an actor to read a script or to hear hear a
Narration and then understand if they’re after the star or if they after the actor the idea is always let the actor make the decision not the star right right okay so but are you directing that film for home ballet I am so it’s happening yeah I am it’s already been
Announced here which one is that it’s called Tyson oh yeah okay okay all right can you tell us if Yash is part of salar no we’s not all right okay uh so we know that you and dkar Salman you know are great friends you know I’ve spoken to dkar and
He always speaks very highly of you U why is it so that we haven’t really seen you together in a film like a proper film together well we’d both love to do something I mean I’m I’m sure dulka would tell you the same thing that we
Would love to uh collaborate on a film and uh it’s something that both of us are looking forward to but because it’s so highly anticipated as at least in Malayalam I can I know that you know people are looking forward to something like that where dul me would do
Something together because it’s highly anticipated I think both of us share the responsibility of lending ourselves to such a film only when a script like that comes across you know uh we can’t just start off from the other end of the ideation saying let’s do a film together
And then start searching for a script that’s just a wrong way to go about it so hopefully one day someday a writer a filmmaker will walk up to both of us and say there is a script that I think would be great if the both of you are in it
Together and both of us also mutually think that way and yeah I’d love to i’ I’d love to do a film with him someday yeah is is he an emperor there were reports I I have not let out any cast details on empan so you know as of now
The only person I can confirm is an emperor and is Mr Mohan oh lovely okay uh I’m getting cued we don’t have much time but so uh you know I think it’s it’s great that we have two major releases like a salar and a donkey together I think the audiences are going
To get you know two options and you know that’s going to drive in so many more people to the theater um are you looking forward to watching Dunkey have you seen in the trailer anything I’m really looking forward to watching Dunkey yeah I mean I’m a huge uh Shah ruk Khan fan
And of course I’m a huge Rajkumar hanani fan and I’m really looking forward to watching and as a film lover uh I think it is the greatest holiday season ever at least in Kerala because we have salar we have donkey and we have n which is a
Mohan jitu Joseph film and they are collaborating after dhim too you know so as a film lover this is like the greatest holiday season ever we get we get to have three really big films you know at the box office and I don’t know about you but I’m watching all three for
Sure I will for sure okay very last one um we are eagerly waiting to watch you in Bia CH Mia uh I know you might not be able to disclose too much about it but can you tell us why what took you so long to come back to doing a you know
Hindi feature film the fact is that I didn’t find anything exciting of course I I read scripts and I listen to narrations I did but I didn’t think anything was exciting enough to Warrant me taking time off from malan Cinema and coming here and doing this and uh with
With Bia Chia um I think the first tasa of the film will come out very soon and that will surprise a lot of people with uh with the scale and with what the film is about and all that and it is a really exciting script and Ali is a fantastic
Filmmaker yeah right I mean he I really hit it off with him uh I really understand how Ali sees things and how he visualizes and perceives things and my character and it is I can’t say a lot but I I don’t think I don’t know how someone
Can say no to that it’s it’s that kind of a character yeah so I’m really looking forward to that film well we also look forward to you know seeing you do more comedy like I told you maybe a br daddy something like that I mean I
Would love to I would love to do comic films I would love to direct more comic films but uh it’s one of the toughest genres to write you know I’m sure uh because um comedy on an Instagram real that last 60 seconds is a lot easier to make than a genuinely organic comedy
Feature film that last for 2 hours that’s right so I’m I hope I find more scripts like Broad ddy and uh it would be great if I can do comic Cinema I I would love to do a comic film in Hindi actually you know yeah that would be
Great yeah all right then on that note thank you so much all the very very best for salal looking for thank you so much nice talking to you lovely likewise thank you hi this is praj sukumaran you’re watching me on news8 a
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