During the promotions of his latest Malayalam release, Prithviraj Sukumaran offered a fascinating glimpse into S S Rajamouli’s working style while speaking to a Bollywood critic.
Calling Rajamouli the finest “actor-director” he has ever worked with, Prithviraj said the filmmaker does not merely explain scenes to his actors. Instead, he performs every emotion, movement and expression himself before asking the actors to recreate it.
“Rajamouli is the best actor-director I have worked with. He acts out every scene before the actors perform it, making it much easier to understand exactly what he wants,” Prithviraj said.
Speaking about the massive scale of Varanasi, the actor said even the word “big” would be an understatement.
He also revealed an interesting incident from the shoot, saying that both Mahesh Babu and he had to perform 94 takes for a single shot before Rajamouli was fully satisfied.
Rajamouli’s perfectionism and insistence on multiple retakes are already well known in the industry. But hearing it from a leading Malayalam star has once again highlighted the director’s relentless pursuit of excellence.
Prithviraj also said Rajamouli approaches every working day with the hunger of a debut filmmaker.
“He works as though this is his first film and his last opportunity to prove himself. Every day on the set feels like a make-or-break moment for him,” he observed.
The Malayalam star further revealed that Rajamouli himself told him Varanasi is the biggest film he has attempted in his illustrious career, despite already delivering global blockbusters like Baahubali and RRR.
With Mahesh Babu headlining the ambitious project and Rajamouli aiming to outdo his previous spectacles, expectations around Varanasi are soaring.
The film is widely expected to become one of the biggest Indian cinematic events, with its eyes firmly set on global audiences.
