Mahesh Babu is all set to launch these newbies

For nearly 20 minutes, team Bangalore Times had a freewheeling chat filled with laughter with the team of the upcoming commercial Kannada film Crazy Boy ' including actors Dilip Prakash and Ashika, and director Mahesh Babu. The two debutants seemed at ease during the interaction and had an air of confidence about them. The team opened up about the experience of working on the movie and with each other, and revealed the reason behind the quirky title.
Ashika and Dilip, you are being launched by Mahesh Babu, who has launched some of the biggest names in the industry. How does it feel?
Ashika: It feels great. I am very excited about the release and am looking forward to see how we are accepted. I was very fortunate to be a part of this movie as I got to work with big artistes like Ravi Shankar, Sadhu Kokila, Rangayana Raghu and Ananth Nag. I learnt a lot in my very first movie itself.
Dilip: It's our good fortune that we got to work with a director like Mahesh Babu. Like Ashika said, it was a very good experience to work with him and we learnt a lot from the big artistes. They helped us a lot and gave us tips. Working with Mahesh sir was amazing.
How much of a taskmaster was he?
Dilip: He is extremely friendly and treats all the artiste like children ' from newbies to senior actors. Whenever we didn't do a scene properly, he used to give us some time to gather ourselves and also gave us tips. He waited till we were relaxed and then took the shot.
Ashika: He has a lot of patience. Initially, we didn't really know what we were doing, but he was by our side throughout. He used to tell us how to emote in songs as well. Even if he wasn't required on the set, he used to be around to support and guide us.
Was it intimidating working with big stars? Did you help each other out?
Dilip: Ashika is a very good co-star; she is very cooperative, so working with her was a nice experience. I was very nervous while acting with the big stars, but I slowly opened up and was at ease in front of the camera.
Ashika: I had mixed emotions. I was nervous, but confident at the same time. Dilip used to tell me when I was doing something wrong, and at the same time, also praised me when I did a scene well, and encouraged me to do better.
You both have absolutely no filmi connections. So, how did you prepare for this movie?
Dilip: Before the shoot, Mahesh sir and the other director, Anil Kumar, used to rehearse the dialogues with us; they taught us dialogue delivery. Also, I used to practice with the dance masters before the shoot. The fights were choreographed on the spot and that was challenging because I didn't use any stunt doubles.
Were films in your scheme of things, or was it accidental?
Dilip: I had a supporting role in a film called Mahakali, but Crazy Boy is my first one as a lead. For me, acting was accidental as I never dreamt of becoming a hero or getting into films.
Ashika: I had offers earlier. Mahesh sir had approached me two years ago, but I was in Class 10, so I refused. When I got this offer, I was happy and thought that it would be a good launchpad as Mahesh sir has introduced many big actresses like Kriti Kharbanda and Aindrita Ray. Also, I have to thank Bangalore Times for this opportunity as participating in Fresh Face helped me get into films.
There have been many newcomers in the film industry of late. What makes you stand out from the others?
Dilip: I think my fighting skills makes me stand out. I am not trained in any form of martial art and have not used a stunt double in the film. The fact that we worked with Ravi Varma, who is quite the taskmaster, also helped.
Ashika: My appearance. I think that I look good in every scene and in all my different get-ups.

Who are your favourite actors?
Dilip: Darshan. He had come for the muhurat and audio release and appreciated me and the film. That was great.
Ashika: I am a big Puneeth Rajkumar fan. I think I was in Class 1 when his first film, Appu, was released. I have been a huge fan since. He was also present at the muhurat and has sung a song in the film. I'm really crazy about him (laughs).
Why was Crazy Boy chosen as the title for the movie?
Mahesh: It's a catchy title. Many people asked me if it had anything to do with V Ravichandaran, since he is known as the Crazy Star. Ravi sir also told me once that I had taken his title. It is common for the lead character's name to become the title of the film. So, we wanted to do something different. It's a youthful title that will reach the audience easily.
Dilip: My character is also like that. He loves his family, bike, girlfriend, friends and college ' he is passionate about all these things. He has that craze, hence, the title.
Mahesh, what was it like working with two newcomers?
Mahesh: I have been working with newcomers since the beginning of my career, so it was easy for me. Dilip is very hardworking and extremely interested and invested in his role, which is something you don't see in this generation of actors. Ashika has a good screen presence. It's her first film, so there may be some small errors. But if she works on her performance, she will be counted among the biggest heroines.
Finally, Ashika and Dilip, was there anything off screen that you didn't like about each other?
Ashika: No. He is very friendly.
Dilip: She is very sensitive. The director and I used to laugh a lot, and she used to think that we were making fun of her.
Ashika: I used to ask them why they were laughing, but they never told me.
Dilip: But we had a lot of fun. We were working and having fun at the same time.