Nikhil Kumar is currently on the sets of Kurukshetra, in Hyderabad, and seems to be enjoying everything about its making and his character. He has set aside two months to get into the skin of the character.
The actor has been training himself for four weeks before going on the sets, to face the camera. "I started with the fight sequences, which was shot over 12 days, after which I took a short break to take care of my father’s (H D Kumaraswamy) health,” he says. “I am now back on the sets to complete the remaining portions, over a 25-day schedule. What remains includes fights, an extravagantly shot song and a few scenes from the movie”.
Abhimanyu's character was planned for 20 minutes earlier, but now the screen-time has been extended to 32 minutes. And, we hear, that one highlight will be a scene with Nikhil and Ambareesh. "It was a scene that was added during the course of its making and when Ambareesh uncle came to know about it, he made sure it is wonderfully shot. He has known me since my childhood, we took an effort to see that they got the right shot," says Nikhil.
The pre-climax fight in Kurukshetra is something to look out for. "There are swords, spears and chakras as weapons with thousands of soldiers,” he says, adding, “south Indian films always needed a sentiment played out, and in the movie you can see Abhimanyu bonding with his horse. Infact, I took time to learn horse riding and to bond with the animal”.
Nikhil is confident that Kurukshetra is going to be an epic, mostly because of its good technicians. "Durga Prasad who is incharge of computer graphics is always on the sets having discussions with
Solomon, the stuntmaster who worked in Baahubali,” he says, adding, “a special mention should be made about the artwork by Kiran Raj, which is extravagant. He took one-and-a-half months to create the song set”.The actor says that, while people already know the story of Kurukshetra, the difference will be in its telling. “For that matter, Baahubali could have been done in ` 50 crore or ` 400 crore. Today's film is not just about spending, but also about how it is presented,” he says.
“Producer Munirathna is working hard on the movie, to ensure that everything is in place. He is confident that Abhimanyu’s fight will be known as an epic and I am putting my best leg forward. I have tried to keep out dupes and body doubles. A lot of effort has gone into the portraying the character”.The actor's next project will go on floors from mid November, after the shooting for Kurukshetra is done.