By: Express Web Desk | New Delhi | Published: April 19, 2018 5:23:43 pm Mahesh Babu says it was an honour to play Chief Minister in Bharat Ane Nenu.Related News
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In his career, Mahesh Babu has been an officer, a goon, a lover boy and a family man but never a political figure. He strikes the politician role off his list with Kortala Siva upcoming political drama Bharat Ane Nenu. The actor and his fans are waiting for the release of his film on April 20. But is he nervous? Hell no! After Spyder, Mahesh is confident that Bharat Ane Nenu will be received well and perform beyond expectation at the box office.
In an interview with TV anchor Pradeep Machiraju, Mahesh says that when the script came to him, he was quite nervous. “I was tensed. I have never been around or in politics. It is a different world. He (Kortala Siva) was narrating the script to me and in 10 minutes, it was yes from my end. I found it exciting. Later, I was in Bangkok where he gave me 2.5 hours narration in two sessions. I was blown away but my only concern then was that how he would condense the entire narration into a 3 hour film,” said the Spyder actor.
Not just that, Mahesh Babu also thought of breaking the film into two parts as some of the impressive scenes could not be included in this narration.
“After watching the film, we realised it should have been released in part one and two because we have not been able to justify and show a lot of exciting scenes. It is one of my favorite scripts. I thoroughly enjoyed playing Bharat,” said Mahesh.
When Pradeep questioned Kortala Siva about presenting a five hour narration in a three hour film, the director quipped, “The flow has not been broken. So, it is alright.”
Mahesh Babu said that while it was impossible for him to play a politician as he has no first-hand experience of it, his brother-in-law MP Galla Jayadev had helped him with basic nuances of being Bharat on-screen.
“When he narrated to me that the story is about a young politician, my first reference was brother-in-law Jayadev. The way he carries himself, the diction and he (the director) also showed me some footage from parliament. He (Jayadev) would also say, “Madam Speaker” which I have taken up for my character in the film. So, it has been a satisfying experience,” recalled Mahesh.
When asked why the director wanted to do a political drama and what sort of prep went behind it, Kortala Siva remarked, “I have always been interested in current affairs. I went to IAS officers – retired and working. I went to Delhi too. I met some officers and spoke to them. They kept asking me if there is a controversy involved or not and I would have to convince there is nothing like that and the information I am gathering is just for my knowledge. I did meet a few politicians from all the parties. I collected data. I crossed checked it. So yes, it was a lot of work but quite exciting too.”
Mahesh Babu also lauded Kortala Siva for not getting swayed by the facts and presenting an informative yet entertaining film on-screen. The actor had watched the final output yesterday and consider his character Bharat as his best so far, “I was totally blown away. This is a film I am extremely proud of and my best performance.”
Praising the director, he said, “When you do research there are chances of being carried away as by the end of the day it is a commercial film. The research was to help him to create a background. It is his strength.”
A still from Mahesh Babu starrer Bharat Ane Nenu.
But has Bharat Ane Nenu changed his thought about joining politics in future? Well, Mahesh Babu, who earlier had completely denied being a part of politics at any point of his career, said while he still maintains his distance from politics, he has realised it is the biggest job ever.
“I got a lot of knowledge about politics. One of the few things I have realised is that though I have stayed away from it but it is the biggest job ever. There is not a bigger responsibility than this. It is still not my cup of tea but now I am curious. Now, I also read the front page. Earlier, I would do away with a newspaper after reading the sports page.”
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