South Indian cinema A-lister Prithviraj Subkumaran is an integral piece of the cast “Salaar,”Prabhas (the Baahubali Franchise) is starring and directed by Prashanth Neel (the K.G.F. franchise).
Though he was approached for the role more than 18 months ago, Sukumaran nearly could not do the film because he was busy with Jordan and Algeria shoots for Blessy’s pandemic-delayed magnum opus “Aadu Jeevitham.”As luck would have it “Salaar”The film was also delayed, but the dates finally aligned. Sukumaran started filming for the film in September.
“There are multiple reasons why ‘Salaar’ would be a no-brainer for anybody to say yes to – it’s a Prashanth Neel film, a Hombale Films [the K.G.F. franchise] production and it is Prabhas’ film,” Sukumaran told Variety. “It is Prabhas’ return to mainstream mass commercial cinema after a while. His films post ‘Saaho’ have been slightly away from the mass action genre.”
Although Sukumaran won’t divulge too much, he does say a lot. ‘Salaar’Prabhas and Vardharaja Mannaar are the main characters.
“The crux of the story is very much between Prabhas’ character and mine,” says Sukumaran. “I deem it a privilege that somebody like Prashanth Neel post ‘K.G.F: Chapter 2’ [the third highest grossing film in the history of Indian cinema] thought it was worth waiting for me to be able to join the film. And I’m glad I made that decision to finally say yes to it, because having shot for a few days, I think it might just be one of those epic cinematic experiences. So, I’m really looking forward to ‘Salaar’ as much as an actor, as I’m as a film lover.”
Sukumaran is a leading actor with over 120 credits. He mainly works in the Malayalam language cinema industry, which is based in Kerala, southern India. The industry has a consistent high output, with the exception of a brief blip in 2000. Sukumaran, who runs Prithviraj Productions with his wife Supriya Menon, is at the forefront.
“Malayalam cinema does not put together ‘projects’ – we only make films. We did go through a phase in the early 2000s, where we put together projects,”Sukumaran says that the time between casting and directing a movie was crucial. Instead of a film being created from writers’ and directors’ minds, producers would first attach an actor to the project, then a director, and then search for a subject that suits their respective strengths.
“We don’t have as much money as the other industries, we don’t have as much scope as the other industries. We don’t have as much audience as the other industries. So the only way we can compete in the larger scheme of things, is to come up with original and new and good and interesting content,” said Sukumaran. “That realization dawned upon us and I believe that is one of the driving forces behind Malayalam cinema going through a new so-called renaissance.”
This brave new content is best seen in 2013 when Sukumaran volunteered to play a gay role. “Mumbai Police,”This is a rare choice for an Indian mainstream star in Indian cinema. Sukumaran said that Rosshan Andrews, the director of Indian cinema, and Bobby-Sanjay’s writing team are the best. “gingerly” approached him with this pivotal twist in the neo-noir film’s plot.
“When I did ‘Mumbai Police,’ as an actor I made a giant leap of faith, and I trusted the audience in Kerala. And my trust in them paid off,” says Sukumaran. ” ‘Mumbai Police’It is significant only because it was made back then. It happened with someone people would consider a big star, and because it was against the popular narrative about how gay men should be represented in cinema. All these put together is what made that film so shockingly original back then.”
Sukumaran has many projects in the pipeline, and they are all in different capacities. Actor “Salaar”It is scheduled for release on Sept. 28, 2023. “Aadu Jeevitham”It is currently in post and hoping for a slot at a major film festival in 2023. Drama “Gold”Alphonse Puthren“Premam”) is due in the next few months and Shaji Kailas’ crime thriller “Kaapa,” a film put together to raise funds for the Writers’ Union of Kerala, has just wrapped. Drama “Vilayath Budha,”Sachy, the late writer-director’s dream that was never realized (“Driving Licence,” “Ayyappanum Koshiyum”Next, you will see the following.
He made his Bollywood debut with “Aiyyaa”(2012), as well as roles in “Aurangzeb”(2013) “Naam Shabana” (2017). He will return to the industry in 2023 with an unannounced project, which has been approved but not yet announced.
“L2: Empuraan,” the sequel to Sukumaran’s directorial debut “Lucifer”(2019) has been completed and will be effective from mid-2023.
Produce “Selfiee,” a remake of Sukumaran’s “Driving License,” starring Akshay Kumar, is due a Feb. 2023 release, and as a distributor, the Malayalam dub of Rishab Shetty’s Kannada-language hit “Kantara,”The next episode will be released next week. A series about Rajan Pillai, the biscuit baron, is currently in the bible preparation stage.