'Met him like fan literally': Chunky Panday recalls first encounter with Prabhas
Actor Chunky Panday reflects on his role as the villain in the film 'Saaho' and his first meeting with co-star Prabhas. He discusses the physical transformation required for the role and the director's intent to keep his identity hidden from the audience.
Why it matters
This provides insight into the creative process of Indian cinema and the collaborative dynamics between established actors and directors.
As Prabhas and Shraddha Kapoor starrer 'Saaho' completes seven years of its release, Chunky Panday looks back at the action thriller and his experience of playing the menacing Devraj aka Deva, a character that required him to undergo a dramatic physical transformation. In an exclusive conversation, the actor opened up about why he agreed to play the negative role, working with Prabhas after 'Baahubali', shooting extensively in Hyderabad, and the one scene that genuinely disturbed him.Panday recalls that director Sujeeth initially surprised him by wanting to cast him as the main villain opposite Prabhas, who was riding high on the success of 'Baahubali'. The actor assumed the filmmaker had seen his popular comedy 'Aankhen', but Sujeeth had a very different reference point.“I remember when I signed 'Saaho', the director had come to meet me. And the only film he had seen of mine was 'Aankhen'.
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