No stopping him

Handling pressure and expectations with élan has become second nature to Mahesh. On the eve of ‘Aagadu’s release, the actor is a picture of calm and confidence

September 16, 2014 06:53 pm | Updated September 17, 2014 08:37 am IST - Hyderabad

BALANCING ACT Mahesh is out to woo the masses

BALANCING ACT Mahesh is out to woo the masses

Achieving stardom overnight is like running a sprint but staying at the top is a marathon. It is a roller coaster where the pressure and focus is on the star to deliver. One Friday it is you and the other it is someone else and as Mahesh makes an attempt to reclaim the throne that slipped from him in January, he reminisces the reasons behind the debacle of 1 Nenokkadine. Despite positive feedback from an educated audience, he talks of balancing that with Aagadu for the mass this time, albeit with a shimmery aesthetic.

“Each star has his own segregated market and it is good for the industry if their films work. I can sell my film too at those rates. The number one game does not exist anymore. But having said that, I will not deny that it gives me a high when my film does well. Nothing can beat the joy on hearing that your film is a super hit on a Friday morning.”

Elaborating on 1 Nenokkadine , Mahesh says, “We went all the way and believed in the script. It was way ahead of its time. May be we went wrong with the screenplay. Janalaki ardham kaledhu ani talk vocchindi . It needed one special effort from me, otherwise there would be no USP. We knew it would be risky, but were confident it would work. I would still like to do such films in future but will ensure such mistakes aren’t repeated.”

Times have truly changed. Even if you pull off a Rs.60 crore film comfortably, there are other factors that decide if one is a superstar — accessibility and media relations, brand image and a constant reality check to see if you’ve turned an arrogant heel or a humble artiste.

Mahesh doesn’t say ‘my film will do the talking’ but works on all the above and his forthright wordplay laced with good humour makes him a favourite with the young and old. But aren’t his onscreen one liners, like the reference to Pululu Simhalu in the trailer that are seen as potshots at other stars, creating animosity between two groups of fans? He quips, “In Businessman too people said I used profanity. I have utmost respect for women; it is just a matter of perception. In Aagadu there are no punch dialogues but there are satires on such dialogues. Actually we made fun of our own Dhookudu , not of anyone else. Me and Sreenu will never stoop to that level. If there is one good quality I possess, it is that I surrender to my director, I will raise no questions, will have no doubts.”

The introduction song and a fight are rumoured to have a rustic battle-like look with the unit shooting in Bellary amidst the dust for a month. Mahesh, along with other unit members, had fallen sick but is said to have taken antibiotics and continued work. How important is it for the film? He avers, “It was the most strenuous schedule I went through in my life. We shot one song and one fight in 23 days in that condition. For every shot, they had to get the dust up to get the right visual. Room kocchi snanam chesthe I would see only mud. It’s very dangerous. But the end result was worth it.”

Aagadu has a new set of writers, but can one expect his synchronisation with Sreenu Vytla to reflect in making Aagadu different from Dhookudu ? He reveals, “The old writers were not bad but everyone needs to change technicians so that you experience freshness and discover something new. Sreenu has an amazing team and Aagadu dialogues will be talked about. When you work for big budget films, dialogues are important as it has a great impact on the screen. Aagadu dialogues will beat Pokiri ’s. Sreenu was working with me for the first time in Dhookudu . He has an unbelievable range in modulations. He makes you say one dialogue in ten different ways. He went to 20 to 30 per cent in Dhookudu but because of our heightened rapport now, he pushed it to a 100 per cent. I used so many slangs that I’ve never heard them before. I observe and imitate a lot of people. I just watch people and find a thousand expressions from them; and the director knew this and used it for the film. I wouldn’t have done that for others but I trusted him.”

Mahesh feels Aagadu is an apt title for such a character-driven film wherein the protagonist gets to do the maximum histrionics. The hero is a cop and will be seen in a full length role of a CI. He adds, “A cop film is authoritative and also very scary. You need to have that conviction to pull it off otherwise people will not accept it and very few have succeeded doing cop roles. This is where the director comes into the picture, the more clarity he has about the cop’s body language the easier it becomes for us to perform. I was surprised by my performance in Aagadu , I delivered a 200 ft shot and sometimes 300 ft shot without a pause, in fact there is no pause in this film. When I start talking it goes on and on but at the same time there are dips and modulations. It is tough. You will understand when you see it,” he concludes.

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