Post the stupendous historical success of Baahubali, Prabhas is all set to star in a full-on action film in Telugu entitled Saaho. This was a film he was committed to do from before Baahubali.And now there are no changes.
“We are making the film exactly the way we had planned before the release of Baahubali. There will be no changes,” says the Saaho director Sujeeth.
Young filmmaker, Sujeeth,who at 26, has been given the responsibility of directing Prabhas in his post-Baahubali film, is not the least daunted by the responsibility ahead.
Speaking on the task ahead Sujeeth who made his directorial debut at 23 says, “When we signed Prabhas forSaaho Baahubali had not released. In fact I narrated Saaho to Prabhas in January 2015, 6 months ahead of the release of the first Baahubali. At that time too Prabhas was already a big star. Of course now he’s something else…”
Sujeeth laughs a little nervously as he recalls his beginning. “I have no formal training in filmmaking.I was making short films from the time when I was a teenager. By the time I was 19 I had made 35 short films. I made my first feature film Run Raja Run when was I was 23. Actually I’d have started earlier. But two of my films that I was chosen to direct were shelved. Maybe I was found to be too young.”
It’s interesting how Sujeeth and Prabhas met for Saaho. “It was the success party of my first feature film RunRaja Run and the film had given the leading man Sharwanand a change of image.When Prabhas who was already a big star, approached me at the party I didn’t take him seriously enough when he told me to write a film for him.I thought it was just social chitchat.”
Taking the request half-seriously Sujeeth started work on Saaho and then abandoned plans half-way thinking it was just a casual party conversation. However a few months later Prabhas scolded Sujeeth about his laxity in doing the needful.
He remembers his excitement while reaching Prabhas’ house for the narration.”I kept adding ideas as I narrated to him. When I saw Prabhas’ enthusiastic face during the narration, I was encouraged and enthused into innovating , just like the stories I used to tell my mother when I was a child, and she would encourage me with her smiles and laughs .”
At that point of time Sujeeth never guessed he would direct Saaho. “I thought I’d sell the screenplay to Prabhas’ producers who had earlier worked with him in a hit film called Mirchi. I thought I’d get some money for the script and I’ll make my mother happy by giving her that money. It was Prabhas who suggested I directSaaho.That’s how I got my second film.”
Sujeeth can’t get over how supportive dedicated and uni-focused Prabhas is to every project. “During the five years that he did Baahubali I would visit him on the sets to watch him, to share ideas with him. He was completely with Rajamouli Sir all the way . Now he’s completely with me. Before he left for the US for a break he called me and said, ‘Don’t worry about anything.Let’s just make the film we decided to make, no more no less.’ He hasn’t changed at all.Why should he?”
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