An Interview With Kannada Star – Actor Sudeep
Pailwan, starring Sudeep, the biggest star from Sandalwood to make his mark in varied film industries across India, is one of the most awaited films in Kannada. It is the 3rd film to be directed by cinematographer-turned-director S Krishna. Ever since its launch a few months ago, the film is in the news for one or the other reason. Sudeep the superstar of the film explains why Pailwan is a very special film for him.
*After 2 decades as an actor, you started going to the gym for the 1st time ever for Pailwan. What made you to become so serious?
*You see as an actor, you always try to find variety in the roles you do. In the end, we actors are all entertainers. An actor will never reach a peak just like that. You are constantly trying to reach newer heights. That said, you cannot sell whatever you do to the audiences. The fact is that I do not show muscle on screen has lingered in my mind for some time. Then this script came along. Whether you like it or not, this kind of scripts motivates you. As the Pailwan script began to take shape, I realized that I needed to give more. When you are making a sports film, I should not be taking it lightly. I immediately joined the gym. Even before that I had a trainer who would come every day & I would have 10 reason every day to avoid him. The 2nd reason was Kabir Duhan Singh. 6 months before I started with the film, I saw his photo on Twitter. It psyched me. The way he has done up his body. In the film, I will be in the same frame as Kabir. Both of us in our bare bodies! Forget how we look in the film, but what will the technicians and others on the sets think of me when they see me next to Kabir? That scared me. It was the question of my self-esteem. I did not want to become a joke in front of anybody. 50% of the credit therefore goes to Kabir. His dedication to his body motivated me.
*How did you prepare yourself in terms of your body for this particular role?
*For the last 8 months, I have never cheated. Be it diet or workout. Even after the shooting for the fight scenes are complete, I have not stopped. Before this, I used to sleep at 2 am or even 4 am. But after I started training, I started waking up at 4 am. Even when I was shooting in Hyderabad, I would leave home at 4.30 am & spend time till 6.30 am in the gym. I would be ready for shooting at 7 am. After shooting, I would start swimming at 5.30 pm & go promptly to sleep at 9 pm. On weekends, when I shoot for Bigg Boss, I get sleep at 9 pm now. I have followed this routine for nearly 4 months. The actual training for the body started 8 months ago.
*From budget to scale, Pailwan is reaching new heights.
*When you have a good story to tell, you cannot hesitate on the budget. It is not because we have money that we are spending. Krishna & Swapna have been very honest in their work & whatever they are spending is for the betterment of the film. It is not just to showcase the expenditure but to show what was required. Everything is shot on the sets. The honesty towards the script will show. Yes there was a calculation of how much the film would cost. But calculation alone will not make a film. The business today helps us make such a film. We are getting so many offers from people who have just seen the sets. It shows we have not compromised. Making a big-budget film was not the idea. We set out on a dream & every one of us is walking that dream. We have so far had 90 days of shooting & not a single day of that was unplanned. Every morning when I wake up for this film it excites me a lot. That has been the case every single day.
*Dubbing for a film in 8 to 9 languages is a first for any Indian film. How did this happen?
*I always wanted to reach out in varied languages. By God’s grace I am known in the other markets. But I did not get to utilize it in my previous films. There were 1 or 2 failed plans. But here I got a very good platform & everyone agreed. It should have happened much earlier. But better late than never! Every single work, every single musical note in this film has been planned to cater to an all-India market.
*But the film will not see a theatrical release in Hindi. Right?
*We are looking at much more specific markets. My films have been dubbed in Hindi for a long time. But a theatrical release in Marathi makes more sense. And so it is with Bhojpuri & Bengali languages. There will be Tamil, Telugu & Malayalam versions too. There is a culture of “kusti” in every region & culture that we are trying to reach out to. I have friends in these industries who are helping me. Ravi Kishan in Bhojpuri & Riteish Deshmukh in Marathi are setting it all up for me.
*It seems that you forced S Krishna to get Suniel Shetty for the Kannada version. Is it true? *Yes! Indeed. Suniel Shetty is from here & it was his lifetime dream to act in a Kannada film. We are so proud that it is through this film. He is one of the biggest stars of his time. Anna has a beautiful role in the film. His character is called Sarkar & anyone will be impressed with what he has done. He was such a motivation on the sets. He would be ready on the sets at 7 am with makeup. He has raised the magnitude of the film. I saw an advertisement of his with the salt & pepper look. From that moment, I was behind S Krishna to get Anna for this film.
