I still don't know how to handle stardom

Prabhas, whose Saaho is progressing swiftly, still remembers his difficult beginnings
I still don't know how to handle stardom

Prabhas always thought he was too shy to be in front of the camera, and had actually planned a career for himself in the hospitality sector. But not only did he enter showbiz, but has since gone on to attain global fame, after the Baahubali franchise. The actor, however, says he still gets conscious at public events.

"I am still shy when I do interviews. I want a lot of people to come and watch my film but I find it difficult to deal with so many people," Prabhas says. "I don't know how to handle stardom even though I've been in the industry for almost 13-14 years now. My fans feel bad that I don't come out so much. I'm better than before though," he adds.

His father is famous producer Uppalapati Surya Narayana Raju and his uncle, Krishnam Raju Uppalapati, also made a name in Telugu cinema. But Prabhas says that he had always refused his family's suggestion that he try his luck in the field, but he still can't put his finger on what made him change his mind.

"They asked me if I was interested, and I was like 'How can someone act in front of so many people?' I used to feel shy... My parents asked me once or twice and I said that it would be impossible. I wanted to do some business because I am lazy, and I can't do jobs. I had thought that maybe I will go into hotel business because our family loves food."

And then things changed. "I actually don't know what happened. One day, I was watching my uncle's film directed by Bapu. I imagined myself in my uncle's character... I think it started there."

Prabhas, who started his career with Telugu film, Eeshwar, in 2002, says he found it hard to make his family trust in his newfound acting ambition. "One day, I told my friend that I wanted to act, and he didn't believe me. And now, that friend has become the producer of Saaho."

While Prabhas went on to act in films like Raghavendra, Barish: The Season of Love, and Varsham, it was Baahubali that changed the whole game for him. The second installment of the franchise will have its TV premiere this Sunday. Prabhas admits that there's a fear of failure after the Baahubali films.

"I faced that fear for the second part of the film also. Now, there is so much expectation. What I can do is believe in something and try to make it as well as possible."

Prabhas is presently busy with Saaho which will mark Shraddha Kapoor's Telugu debut. The film is being shot simultaneously in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

Related Stories

No stories found.
Cinema Express
www.cinemaexpress.com