Mumbai, Dec 20: Prashanth Neel’s “Salaar”, an upcoming movie headlined by Prabhas, has all the elements of a quintessential mass film but what will keep the audiences engaged is the tale of two friends, says actor Prithviraj Sukumaran.
Titled “Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire”, the big-budget action film is set in the fictional city of Khansaar and follows the story of Deva and Vardha, played by Prabhas and Sukumaran, respectively. It will be released on Friday.
Sukumaran said the movie’s announcement back in December 2020 made waves in the South film industry because of the names attached to the project — Neel, the director of blockbuster “KGF” franchise, and Prabhas, the lead star of SS Rajamouli’s “Baahubali” series.
And when he heard the narration of the story from Neel, Sukumaran said he was left surprised. “I had different notions about what the film would be. I didn’t expect it to be a story of two friends, their bonding, and what happens between them. That caught me by surprise.
“What drew me in was the drama. Despite all the spectacular fight sequences and huge sets, what pulls you in ‘Salaar’ is the drama. That drama, regardless of how big or small the film is or in which language the film is made, it works,” the 41-year-old actor told PTI in an interview here. For an actor, the scale of a film is secondary, added Sukumaran, who has worked across languages and delivered hits such as “Indian Rupee”, “Ravananan”, “Ennu Ninte Moideen”, “Ezra”, “Kaaviya Thalaivan” and “Lucifer”. “If you are making a Rs 600 crore film with a rotten script, then there’s no point. With ‘Salaar’, it is not about the budget or the scale. ‘Salaar’ worked for me and it will work for the audience because it is a good film… (PTI)
