For an actor, a few wrong decisions can result in a lifetime of regret. Prajwal Devaraj has openly said that his last film Savaal was the biggest mistake of his career. “Savaal sounded like a good script when the director narrated it to me, but he messed it up with his direction,” he adds.
Fortunately for Prajwal, age is on his side and he has the time to make mistakes and correct them too. Things are looking bright for the actor who has a couple of good films in his kitty. To start with, he is excited and confident about his upcoming project Jamboo Savari, a remake of the Telugu hit Swamy Ra Ra. “We have made a lot of changes to the original in terms of screenplay and music. You will see me in a new get-up. I can say that it will be better and more entertaining than the original,” he says.
Surprisingly, Jamboo Savari will not see Prajwal in an action-packed drama. Though the film has a chase scene, we hear it is in the format of a song. “People are not aware that I am a big fan of humour. And, when I get to do humour, I go crazy. I am in search of such subjects. I hope this film changes the perspective of a few minds and understand that Prajwal can be part of genres other than action,” he says.
After Jamboo Savari, there are a couple of films lined up for Prajwal including Neenadena, a film done under his home banner and Mrigashira, which he says will be Sandalwood’s Indiana Jones. Then comes Dil Ka Raja, a commercial love story and his current project with P C Shekar’s will see Prajwal and his father Devaraj on screen together for the first time. The film might be titled Kshatriya or Yuddha.
The actor considers Neenadena as his dream project. “There is always something that you want to do, but you are unable to due to various constraints. Since this project is done under our home production, we are able to present the story the way we want,” says Prajwal, adding, “The film is close to reality in terms of performance. Of course, it has a commercial aspect, which is necessary. There are three heroes in the film - cameraperson Srinivas Ramaiah, music director Arjun Janya and myself.”
It is also a challenging role for the actor, because for the first time, he goes back to playing a school boy in Neenadena. “The film will start with me as a student and bring me to the present age. “I had to lose around 10 kg in the process of playing the role. I am glad that there is a lot of planning and discussion happening with regard to the mood of the scenes and costumes. That is how it is supposed to be done. Perfect planning ensures better production quality. Here, my mother is the producer and my father is the task master, while my brother is helping everyone. This is what dad and I always wanted to do. His wish has been fulfilled with our home production film,” he explains.
Prajwal believes in getting recognition with the right kind of job. However, he also admits that he still lags behind in promoting himself and his films. “I took to social media only two to three months ago and only recently have I started making updates about me. I hope to catch on soon,” he says.
Luckily, things can never be too low for him career-wise. “Thanks to dad for his help. But now, I have realised that people who can narrate a story cannot direct and visa versa. I always thought about giving new comers a chance, and that has affected me greatly. Two to three new directors who came forward to work with me did not fare well. They had the capabilities but their whims and fancies changed when they became directors, and they could not maintain stability. The talk is still that Prajwal is the safest hero with producers getting back their investment. I want to be a little more than that. I want to take it slow and be stable by myself. I will not take up anything for the next few months,” he signs off.