Without any godfather in the industry, he has been successful and has made critics take notice of his talent. Yet, after a spate of 14 films, where he has tried everything — from a lover boy to negative characters — the big break that actor Prasanna feels he deserves has been eluding him. However, with Muran, it looks like the dry spell is going to end and a new dawn awaits. In a chat with City Express, Prasanna tells us why he is so keyed up about the project and his future in Kollywood.
“Muran, as the title suggests, is about contradictions in life,” begins Prasanna. “It can be contradictions between two sets of people or between a different strata of society. That’s what the film deals with.”
Muran is a directorial debut by Rajan Madhav, a former associate of Mysskin and Cheran. Playing the other lead role with Prasanna is Cheran, who plays an aspiring musician.
Prasanna was so excited about this project that he wanted to produce the movie himself, until Cheran decided to help out and produce it. The latest news is that UTV has taken over the project, having been impressed with the film.
So what got Prasanna interested in the film? He says, “I play a rich brat in his 20s, who meets an aspiring, middle-class musician, in his 30s, while on a road trip. How these two lives affect each other forms the story.”
Cheran has two heroines opposite him — Haripriya and Nikitha, while Prasanna’s co-star is Suma Bhattacharya, who plays an introverted Anglo-Indian girl.
The visible makeover that Prasanna has undergone for this film has created a buzz in Kollywood. He laughs, “Yes, I changed my look for this film. I lost 9kg in three months and that was tough as I am a huge foodie!”
Since he had to portray a younger guy, Prasanna had to change his hairstyle to look the part. “Also, I needed to be convincing as a rich brat. So I shopped for accessories to go with my look. In fact, you will see me wearing my personal accessories like Ralph Lauren shades, a real diamond ear stud and a branded watch in the film along with a new wardrobe,” he explains.
However, one thing that got him hooked was the Audi Q7 that he’s driving in the film. “I want to earn enough to own it one day!” he grins.
Except a few songs, 70 per cent of the film has been completed. The film is shot mainly on the Bangalore-Chennai highway. Shooting on the highways was risky for the unit, says Prasanna. “We had unmanageable crowds to control. Plus, shooting on such busy highways was another challenge,” he recalls.
Muran will be Prasanna’s 15th film and he is confident that it will open new doors for him. With 10 years in the industry and still to enter the big league, does he feel dissatisfied? “Well, it’s not that I do everything that is offered to me. I am selective with my scripts and feel that I have an audience who appreciates me and comes to see me. But yes, it’s high time that I get a big break. I think I deserve to be in the list of top five actors, and that’s why I opted for acting,” he states. “I think I am just one step away from making it really big. One big commercial break
will change my life.”