After Baahubali, Mahesh Babu’s Spyder, which is set to release in multiple languages, seems to be the most-awaited film. Made within a budget of nearly Rs 125 crore, the film has been directed by A.R. Murugudoss one of the country’s finest directors.
“It’s a dream come true for me to work with Murugudoss garu. He is a pan-India director and has a huge market in Tamil cinema. I waited for ten years to work with him and shooting this film has been one of the most amazing experiences, says Mahesh adding that the action film will keep you at the edge-of-the-seat.
Talking about the thriller’s sizeable budget, the actor says: “This film’s budget is beyond Rs 100 crore and to justify it, the film has to be released in other languages.”
Interestingly, another of Mahesh’s wishes came true during the shoot of Spyder he got the chance to work with internationally acclaimed cinematographer, Santosh Sivan. “His way of lighting and taking close-up shots are totally different. They call him God in Bollywood, that’s his nickname, and I am not surprised why,” says Mahesh.
A fitting Tamil debut
Notably, the spy thriller will also see Mahesh making his Tamil debut. Emphasising that it’s never too late to pursue one’s dreams, the actor says: “I really wanted to act in Tamil and I speak the language fluently. I would have done it long ago but there is so much work here and I didn’t get exciting offers earlier. But most importantly, I was concentrating on Tollywood. It is very difficult to find a subject that suits both Telugu and Tamil audiences. More than that, the director is very important. So, I found it to be the right time to do a film in Tamil. It’s not about going there to expand the market, it is about all the aspects of being an actor.”
However, doing a bilingual is not an easy task, quips Mahesh. “It was a new experience for me. It’s not as easy as we think. It is very intense and we shot for 190 days but we never had a dull moment. For the first five to six days of the shoot, my mind was blank and I wondered how was I going to pull this off, because the modulation, expression, acting everything changes for the two different languages. But Murugudoss guided all of us with his energy,” the actor reveals.
Entering a new industry is always challenging. So, is Mahesh feeling the pressure of entering Tamil cinema? “We are all huge stars here and have created our own market. In Tamil also, there are stars. When you spend so much money on a film, it will work out in Tamil too if it works out in other languages. That’s the main thing that we are looking at and I don’t feel that there is any competition,” the actor goes on to say, adding that he would do another bilingual film only if he likes the director and the script. He continues, “You have to change with the audience. That’s one reason for doing Spyder.”
Busier than a bee
At a time when many leading actors like Jr NTR, Rana Daggubati, Nagarjuna and Chiranjeevi are taking up TV shows, where is Mahesh Babu? “I appreciate their energy, but when it comes to me, I am just sticking to acting as it keeps me extremely busy. When I am not acting, I like to spend time with my family and kids. I have a life outside the acting profession. I can’t burn myself out so much,” the actor states.
Sharing the importance of family in his life, Mahesh adds: “Family is very important and brings balance. I don’t know how many people know about acting, but it is a very stressful job. So it’s very easy to get caught up in this world. I am lucky in this aspect.”
Talking about doing big films, “There is lot of pressure on everybody when we do a big film. We all work very hard and make sure that the film is going to be a success. So before the release, everyone feels nervous and excited. At that time as well, family comes to my rescue.”
Recalling one such hectic shoot schedule, where the entire unit followed a night shift, the actor says, “We shot for nearly 25 days in Ahmedabad and it was a night shoot. We got permission to shoot from 11 pm till in the morning. It was completely the other way round as the entire unit slept in the day and started shooting at night. No one from the entire team could explore Ahmedabad.”
Talking about his kids, he says, “Gautam is grown up now and he is 11 years old. He is into video games and Sitara is five years old and she loves toys. They love to spend time with me and we often go on holidays, whenever we get the time. Though the shootings are hectic, we make sure that we spend a lot of time together.” Mahesh adds that he never has, and will never miss any important event in his kids’ lives during their growing years.
Work, uninterrupted!
The day after Mahesh wrapped up Spyder, he reached the sets of Koratala Siva’s next. “Usually, I take two to three months’ break between two films, but this was like a new experience for me and I am enjoying the process,” he says.
The actor explains that it is very difficult to find a script immediately after a film. “Even big actors are taking a break of six to seven months as they can’t find the right script. I am lucky that I am doing work continuously,” Mahesh says, adding that he gave a nod to most of his scripts last year.
Mahesh will later move on to a film with Vamsi Paidipalli.
