What would you be missing if you weren’t a part of Bahubali?
Your work experience with the director
Any particular moment that you cherish?
Any hangover after the completion of the shoot?
On the producer and VFX department
(Sunita Yalavarthi)
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Director: | S. S. Rajamouli |
What would you be missing if you weren’t a part of Bahubali?
Your work experience with the director
Any particular moment that you cherish?
Any hangover after the completion of the shoot?
On the producer and VFX department
(Sunita Yalavarthi)
Is this is the first time you’ve worked on a period film?
What kind of excitement did you go through?
What did you observe about Rajamouli?
On the people around him
Your current projects
(Sunita Yalavarthi)
Ace art director Sabu Cyril’s repertoire is vast and he is a workaholic. The only holiday he takes is while he is travelling but that too it is on some official work. The Kerala born has his home in Mumbai but the last three years he had made Hyderabad his home as Rajamouli wanted his complete focus on Baahubali. In an exclusive chat with telugu360.com, the multi-faceted personality gives us a peek into his childhood and how he took to arts despite stiff opposition from his father. Sabu Cyril doesn’t talk about Baahubali much here;
On his academics: I wanted to be a mechanical engineer. I would read books on practical chemistry, and particularly a Russian book Physics For Entertainment was my favorite. It was eleven rupees fifty paisa for two books (volumes)and I bought it with my own pocket money. I was in the sixth standard at that time. I would paint and draw, would go to dad’s workshop and help him and today it has helped me as an art director. I was academically a good student, would get 100 in everything – in paintings and science exhibitions. I never knew I would land in films, my dad is an all-rounder but he is not into films. My uncle is a cinematographer and mom’s dad is an artist, painter, photographer and maybe I am the only one who took off after my grandfather. I wanted to join school of arts and came from Coimbatore to Madras but dad was totally against it. He said people are struggling to get into science and here I am joining arts. I had a major argument and he said he won’t pay my fee and I did it. I would give tuition, do logos and folders, pamphlets for pharmaceutical companies. I am lucky as I have taken hobbies as a profession. Even if you are an artist or a sculptor they need to spend money and buy their material but here my producer spends on my hobby but I do justice to my work and I enjoy what I am doing.
[pullquote position=”left”]If it is easy everyone would have done it, I love challenges where I learn and people too benefit, says Sabu Cyril[/pullquote]
Is he simple or flamboyant in his designs ? Films that I do are big, simplifying things in this world is most difficult. You can’t re design a pin, a safety pin has been designed so many years back and still it is existing. My home reflects my taste, Mumbai flat has no colors. It is white and grey. If I go to the sets I shouldn’t get bored. If I have yellows and reds and other dominating colors at home, it would influence my work on the sets. If art direction is easy everyone would have done it, I love challenges where I learn and people too benefit, says Sabu Cyril. My house in Hyderabad is rented, furnished. A few things I brought without drilling nails onto the wall, to make it feel it is my house and not feel alien for one week or two week. It is not my place basically.
Why do art directors get branded? Most art directors don’t want to grow. we shouldn’t reflect our taste, we get branded as our taste comes in and we repeat because we like it. We should do what the subject demands and what is good for the particular film. We should not repeat and do justice. Even film is different, even though it is period. Even Hey Ram and Ashoka was different, I tried keeping it separate. When I did advertising I really learnt a lot, when we did Ra.One It did a lot of detailing in video games. I always do research, take references and then change according to what the subject demands. I am not a film buff but generally see if someone tells me something unique was there in the film. I get magazines from America, a quarterly which I was subscribing from 25 years. I have updated myself well. I get influenced by the places I visit and use it from my memory be it churches or anything. I try tasting different local cuisine when I travel, I love to know about their history and lifestyle.
What are the issues you face daily ?
Every day is a challenge, today you solve a problem, there will be a new one. Even if I am repeating, something crops up which I don’t imagine will happen. When challenges come to me I love it, and love solving it. I am called for usually mechanical and technically complicated designs. I love futuristic things and I am mostly inspired by such films. When I travel I consider it a holiday, when your hobby becomes a job you won’t feel you are working. Moreover I haven’t even gone for a honeymoon, my wife cribs and says don’t call me for a holiday when I am sixty year old. I was here for 3 years to do Baahubali, so I took up a place. You can’t serve two masters and this film required my involvement and was too demanding. Rajamouli as a director expects total attention. Hey Ram also was demanding .. Kamal Hassan was a task master, I put heart and soul into the film and I never got any recognition. For an artiste, more than money you need appreciation. When a small ordinary film gets a national award and you don’t get mentioned despite doing so much, it hurts. What to do? The world is like that, you have to accept the way it is.
How does it feel when structures are pulled down eventually? We kept working till we understood what he (Rajamouli) was looking out for..we had to highlight his vision. We could communicate through sketches and get his approval. When you see the rushes, it is like child birth, you forget the labour pains. We know it will be pulled down, so we work that way, we are conditioned that way, and there is no attachment
(Interviewed By : Sunita Yalavarthi )
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he title Baahubali just came out from me..it wasn’t thought about, it was spontaneous. It has nothing to do with history, says script writer Vijayendra Prasad.
1) When did the idea of making Baahubali trigger?
Three years back my son Rajamouli came to me and said he is making a film with Prabhas and wanted me to write a story. He likes swords, horses and emotions and wanted a period story, he also said that every character in the story should have a logical ending; a third dimension, they should be in flesh and blood and with grey shades.
2) How long did it take to develop it?
Next day I narrated the last scene in the first part of Bahubali. I could see the spark in his eyes, then the second scene was about a baby placed on a palm emerging from the waters. I could see the same spark in his eyes. The third scene was from the second part of Bahubali. It was totally unconnected, I knew he liked it and it took three months to develop it. The moment he started narrating it to others and discussing it, I knew he liked it. He usually doesn’t do that.
3) What was the necessity for a sequel?
There were too many scenes, the justice wasn’t being done to all so it was imperative that we make two parts. [pullquote position=”left”]If Bahubali, the hero in the story is important so are others, we can’t write them off…..may be in footage they could occupy small space but the importance is monumental.[/pullquote]
4) Why name it Bahubali?
The title Bahubali just came out from me..it wasn’t thought about, it was spontaneous. It has nothing to do with history. Then I got to know that in the North of India, Bahubali meant a title, any great person is called Bahubali, nothing to do with Gomateswara.
5) What importance does Baahubali hold at the box office?
Narrating a story gives me complete happiness, getting money, being paid is just a bonus. I love my craft so much. I want the film to be a hit for two reasons. A producer has believed in a vision, if he doesn’t get his money back, it is not fair at all. This is a project that will take Indian cinema to the next level. The hero is Shobu Yarlagadda, there is always a smile on his face even as the budget kept escalating. Next hero is Ballary Sai, the distributor.
6) Any happy moments?
Of course yes. My son told me his ambition is to make Mahabharat. Bahubali is a big test to check if he has it in him to do it. Our country has rich heritage and culture, great history, this is Seva and nothing less than that if we make the epic. There was a poll recently in Tamil Nadu, Shankar got 170 votes and Rajamouli 180. The latter shows variety and the former deals with the wrong done to the society.
(Sunita Yalavarthi)
The much-awaited Baahubali movie is creating waves across film circles. While everyone is cross fingered as to what the movie would revolve around, Rana-who essayed a key role-in Bahubali has revealed the plot of the movie.
Rana, Prabhas and others who essayed important roles in this flick are in Mumbai to promote Bahubali. Speaking to the media, Rana said that Baahubali is an action drama between two brothers who try to adorn a prestigious throne.
The movie is apparently set in the backdrop of earlier century where kings and kingdoms existed. Bahubali is going to be released in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam.
The sources said that Rajamouli, who worked on this movie for nearly three years, got a whopping 60 rupee crore remuneration while Prabhas was offered 40 crores. A new language was created for this movie, which will be spoken by antagonist.
Not just in India, but Baahubali is being awaited by film enthusiasts across the globe. It wouldn’t be exaggeration to state that this movie would undoubtedly escalate the standards of Indian Cinema in the international market.
Baahubali’s audio was recently released at Tirupati. The movie is slated for a grand release on July 10 this year.
(Phani B)
Prabhas starrer Baahubali is creating waves across Tollywood and Bollywood circles. Thanks to director Rajamouli for working on the pre-production for one year. The hard work involved in the movie is clearly projected in the recently released trailers of Baahubali.
Some video game freaks said that the movie trailer looked like a video game. They reminded of some strategy games such as ‘Age of Empires,’ and ‘Age of Mythology.’ These video games basically enable the player to build their empire and then attack the other kingdoms through various strategies.
A few other video game enthusiasts said that Baahubali might be made into a video game. All in all, it’s a good thing that Tollywood is reaching Hollywood’s range.
Ever since Baahubali went on floors, the project’s development hass been hampering for various reasons. While the captain of this movie–director Rajamouli is going ahead with unshaken determination, he’s at the receiving end of shocks in the forms of piracy and criticisms.
It is known that Baahubali audio was allegedly pirated and released on internet by fraudsters much before the audio release, senior actor and character artiste Suresh has given another shocket to this ace director.
Suresh, last night, tweeted that he wouldn’t support Rajamouli hereafter as the director felt Suresh and Suman to handle character roles in his movies.
How and when Rajamouli will come down on these unwanted criticism has now become the topic of the town.
(BPK)