After Spyder in 2017, Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu is all set to conquer the big screen down south with his new film Bharat Ane Nenu this weekend. The film features Mahesh Babu in the role of the CM of Andhra Pradesh and co-stars Prakash Raj and Kiara Advani. While the actor has not been giving interviews in the run up to the release of Bharat Ane Nenu, here’s a quick look at what he spoke about in an interview to Film Companion last year.
Mahesh Babu On His Directors
“I follow the director. Once I okay the story, once I okay the project, I blindly follow my director. I’ve always done that. That way, I’ve come up with something new for every film. Sometimes I’ve fallen, things didn’t work out but sometimes things have worked out brilliantly for me. So I follow my director. I’m still insecure, to be honest. Even now, when I go to my set, I really don’t know what I’m doing. That’s why I completely surrender myself to the director.”
Why Mahesh Babu Took a Break
“The pressure got to me. I’d delivered one of the biggest hits at that time, called Pokiri. It was a phenomenal blockbuster at that time. Salman (Khan) remade it as Wanted. The movie took me to another level. Then, I lost my grandmother, who was very close to me. (My wife) Namrata’s parents passed away that same year. So everything was happening at the time and I didn’t know what films to do, what kind of a performance to come up with, how to satisfy my fans. My son was eight or nine months old at the time. So I said, ‘I’ll take a six month break’ and spend time with them. That six months became three years. I learnt a lot, matured, then knew what to do exactly.”
Mahesh Babu and Social Media
“For me, Twitter is for communicating with my fans about my work. Communicating a film to the audience is a boon. It’s a two-edged sword. If the film is brilliant, if it’s working, social media is going to help you. If your film is not working, social media is going to kill you.”
Mahesh Babu Remembers His Father
“He’s an amazing father. I remember when I was young, I did a lot of films as a child star and some of them were huge hits. Every summer holiday, he would take me to Ooty to do a film, which he would direct. Every April-May, we would go do a film. Before I knew it, I was a huge child star. I missed a year in school so he said, ‘Okay, you go back. Finish your college. Then come back and start acting.’ So he actually planned my career so beautifully that I’m blessed to have a father like him.”
(Source: Film Companion)
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