Director of Salaar Talks About Radhe Shyam Debacle And Prabhas’ Adipurush: “Shah Rukh Khan Showed Us…”

Filmmaker Prashanth Neel believes that his most recent film, “Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire,” would emulate the success of his “KGF” trilogy, which naturally spreads across the nation. The primary actors of the “KGF” series, Neel and Yash, gained widespread recognition with the release of the 2018 Kannada period action movie “KGF: Chapter 1.” Starring in pivotal parts were Bollywood celebrities Raveena Tandon and Sanjay Dutt in its 2022 sequel, “KGF: Chapter 2.”

The filmmaker, who debuted with “Ugramm” in 2014, said he never envisions his movies as pan-India endeavors. “I’ve written and carried out a tale. It’s unclear to me if “Salaar” will be a pan-Indian film. If it turns into a pan-Indian film, however, it will be a huge plus for all of us. Like, ‘KGF’ just kind of occurred,” Neel said in an interview with PTI.

“Movies that develop naturally are usually successful. It is impossible to intend to produce a pan-Indian film and then decide to bring in actors from the same industry to make it so. The director went on, “That’s not how it works.

The plot of “Salaar” centers on two friends who become fierce rivals, Deva and Vardha, who are portrayed by Prabhas and Prithviraj Sukumaran. On Friday, it will be made available.

The 43-year-old filmmaker said that the movie’s journey began more than 15 years ago. It was just a thought that occurred to me. However, it required a large expenditure. I thus created “Ugramm,” my debut film, and “KGF.” “KGF” consumed my time for over eight years. I told Prabhas sir about this topic (‘Salaar’) at COVID-19, and he agreed to undertake it,” he recounted.

The feeling between two friends is “Salaar’s” USP, and how that emotion turns into violence constitutes the central theme of the narrative, according to Neel. The filmmaker feels that in high-budget movies, the plot and the characters should be just as important.

“We produce movies to tell stories, and we want the appropriate actors and characters to play each part. A celebrity has a commercial component, and we are given more finances to do as we choose. However, the same standards apply: this is the character, not the hero portraying the hero, since if we believe that, then the war is lost, he said.

Neel said that his goal for “Salaar” was for Prabhas (also known as “Baahubali”) to give up his rockstar status. Making ‘Salaar’ was never under any kind of pressure. Ensuring the performer has a character-like appearance is the goal. You want to portray Prabhas as a character, not as Prabhas, and I did all in our power to do that,” he said.

The filmmaker said that a celebrity can always recover after a successful movie, even if he admitted that Prabhas had a challenging run at the box office with his most recent movies, “Adipurush” and “Radhe Shyam.” Prabhas is well-known. Following “Baahubali,” he rose to fame. Something like that is not going to be forgotten by the public. Stars will always remain stars; they just need to provide one hit, regardless of how many failures they have. There’s no doubt that Shah Rukh Khan has shown us that a celebrity is always a star, Neel continued.

There is anticipated to be a box office duel between Rajkumar Hirani’s “Dunki” and “Salaar.” The latter, starring Shah Rukh Khan, will premiere on Thursday, one day ahead of “Salaar.” Regarding the release, Neel said he stays out of a film’s commercial affairs.

“I stay out of the day-to-day operations of what occurs after the movie is finished. “My task is to produce a film within a specified budget and deliver it to them at a time that suits their release schedule,” he said.

The director said that he has the highest regard for Shah Rukh Khan and Hirani. “I adored everything they released,” (referring to ‘Dunki’s’ materials). We aim to show the most human aspect of each trailer or teaser since that is what people always want to see. We strive to achieve it even in the epic films,” he said. “Salaar,” which is produced by Hombale Films, also features Shruti Haasan, Jagapathi Babu, Eshwari Rao, and Sriya Reddy.