Kannada superstar Sudeep has time and again surprised the audience with his unique roles. His recent film that has created enough curiosity is 'Eega', which is creating the kind of buzz that is usually seen before a Rajinikanth film release.
“Director SS Rajamouli has created a buzz with 'Eega' and surely the film has become the Rajinikanth of the town,” he says. Most of the movie’s Rs 40-crore budget has gone into special effects. “The movie is all about it (special effects),” says Sudeep, adding, “The main protagonist of the film, 'Eega' — a non-existing ‘fly’ — had to be created. Obviously, that has taken the highest remuneration as the hero.”
How was it to battle with a fly?
“I am yet to see it myself as I was battling alone,” laughs Sudeep. According to him, 'Eega' is at par with Hollywood standards. “The Indian fraternity should be proud of Rajamouli who has made the visual effects so realistic,” he says.
Will the Indian audience sit up and take notice of an animated sci-fi film like 'Eega' when one of the previous films, 'RA.One', failed miserably at the box office? “I am not looking at 'Eega' as a sci-fi film. It is a socio-fantasy film. It is a story told by the father to his child, who gets up in the middle of the night and wants the father to tell her a story. As he starts the story, saying, ‘Once upon a time’, she says, ‘Papa, you have told me this story many number of times, tell me something new.’ So that’s when a story about a fly is created. Everybody will get connected. There is nothing like a super hero or any super natural powers as the film is made very practically,” he explains.
Releasing in four languages — Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi — 'Eega' will definitely make a landmark in Sudeep’s film career. Was playing bad boy difficult? “There’s goodness in everything bad and badness in everything good. It is just about what you pick up at that moment. When you are playing an actor, I don’t think you should consider who is good or bad. You are getting the space and wonderful opportunities. I would understand this question if there were more exciting things happening here, but this was exciting enough for me and I grabbed it,” he says.
Was this an attempt by the actor to break the mould from the usual kind of films? “Yes. Somewhere I wanted to excite myself as I was getting a little bored in whatever I was doing. Celebrity Cricket League was one thing, which gave me some thrill after a long time. Sometimes you really come to a point of stagnation. That’s when you drive to leave home and start putting on your makeup. Today, God has given me everything. There is money, family, fans and fame. Now is the time to work for better films and better ourselves,” says Sudeep.
With the film coming to theatres on July 6, the actor is yet to see his breakthrough in other languages — Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. “I have given my best and come back. I am not worried about the result, neither will I be thinking about the phone calls I get after Eega releases. I am not looking for 100 days or silver jubilee,” he says.
The film will be released as
Eega in Telugu, Naan Ee in Tamil, which is also dubbed in Malayalam and Hindi.