Actor Prithviraj’s association with Prashanth Neel and Hombale Films started much before Salaar, co-starring Prabhas. The actor’s production house Prithviraj Productions distributed the Yash's KGF: Chapter 2 in Malayalam.
Although the actor didn't watch the entire film before release, he knew it would be adrenaline-packed. “I did see some parts of it. I knew that it was going to be much bigger and more adrenaline-inducing than KGF: Chapter 1. I would be lying if I said, ‘I knew the film would take off.’ By then, Hombale Films and Prithviraj Productions had reached an agreement of being partners. And we started off with KGF 2. I expected it to do well but I did not expect it to do what it did.” The actor adds that including Malayalam films, the film still remains to be one of the highest grossing films ever.
The actor goes on to add that he was blown away by KGF: Chapter 1. “I absolutely loved. Even today I like KGF 1 better than Chapter 2. I have told this to Prashanth as well. The first film for me was the quintessential Salim-Javed/Amitabh Bachchan 70’s film that I am still a big fan of. It just blew me in terms of its aesthetics and scale. Yash was amazing in the film.”
His association with Hombale Films continues with a directorial he is about to make for the production house, named Tyson. However, the hot topic for the week is his starring role in Prashanth Neel’s big-budget follow-up Salaar. The Telugu film sees Prithviraj return to the language after 2010’s Police Police.
“The kind of cinema Prashanth Neel makes is not easy to write,” says Prithviraj when asked about the difference in the director’s style of cinema compared to the films he makes in Malayalam, “Making large-scale mass entertainers that connect with the audience and make a person travel with the narrative of the film requires a high level of skill in screenwriting. I have seen the effort Prashanth Neel puts in writing, in person. He is a spectacular technician and has a keen sense of style. But aside from that, the effort the man puts into his writing is what makes it truly special.”
In Salaar, which is set to release this Friday, Prithviraj shares screen space with Prabhas, in an action-heavy friendship drama set in an almost dystopian world named Khansaar. Prithviraj plays the role of Varadaraja Mannar, the exiled prince who needs Prabhas’ Deva to help him regain his throne. Director Prashanth Neel has been a director who has always created new worlds in his films. Be it the Mughor in his debut feature Ugramm or the infamous Narachi Gold Mines in KGF, he is known for creating specific worlds with their own histories. Salaar too has the city of Khansaar as its backdrop.
“In Salaar, you will see and discover this fictional place called Khansaar,” says Prithviraj. "This man has gone ahead and created a thousand-year history for this fictional place. He has given names and histories to the various tribes in the place. Only about 20% of what he has created is in the film, but he has created them. When you listen to Prashanth’s narration, you are taken into his vision and experience how he is seeing the film.”