Prithviraj Sukumaran defends violence in films, calls it necessary in Salaar: 'You need it to tell people..' | Exclusive

It’s a meeting of some of the biggest names across film industries in Salaar. Prabhas, the reigning star of Telugu cinema, is sharing screen space with Prithviraj Sukumaran, one of the biggest names from Malayalam cinema, and they are being directed by Prashanth Neel, the man behind the highest-grossing Kannada film ever. Naturally, the film is hyped. As the release day draws closer, DNA caught up with Prithviraj to chat about the film’s scale and violence, and his co-star Prabhas.

Prithviraj calls Salaar an action thriller but maintains that director Prashanth Neel has kept the emotional core of the story intact. He explains, “There is a lot of action in the film but Prashanth was always very clear about the fact that the film is basically about two friends. That is what we wanted to project. From the trailers and the song that has been released, we have given a very frank overview of what the film is about.  Why this friendship is so deep and what their dynamic is is something that you will discover as soon as the film begins.”

When the first trailer was released two weeks ago, fans noted that Prabhas only made an entry about midway into it. The new release trailer also gives equal footing to both Prabhas and Prithviraj. The actor says that his screen time in the film is increased from what was originally planned and he only Prabhas to thank for it. “If you know Prabhas, you will then realise that he is somebody who always thinks of the film first. In fact, I have a lot more screen time than what was originally planned. A lot of the further add-ons to my character were Prabhas’ ideas. He was the one who said this has to be this way. He is a very secure actor. He is one of the biggest stars of the country and he wears that stardom very securely and very easily,” says Prithviraj.

However, he does add that Prabhas fans have nothing to worry about as they will get plenty from their hero. “Having said that, I can assure you that if you are a fan of Prabhas, you are going to walk out of the theatre overjoyed and wanting to get a ticket for another show,” the actor adds.

Prashanth Neel’s KGF series was heavy on action and violence and Salaar seems to be continuing the tradition. The A-rating and gore in the trailer is testament to it. Prithviraj says he does not mind violence in cinema. He says, “I have absolutely no problem with violence in cinema as long as the violence is a character, and as long as the violence is a factor deciding the dynamics or the narrative of the film. It is very much so in Salaar. This film is based on a place that is defined within the plot as the most violent place on earth, ruled, lived in, and maintained by the most violent people on earth. And amongst them is one person known to be the most violent.”

The actor goes on to say that violence, in this film, it is a necessity, dictated by the plot and the way Prabhas’ character Deva and his character Vardharaja are structured. Prithviraj explains, “The whole dynamic between Vardharaja Mannar and Deva is that Vardha holds the leash with which Prabhas’ character is tied by. Vardha does not let it go because he knows because he knows that once he does, he will unleash a force that probably even he can’t control. At one point, the force is let loose. Then you need the violence to tell people why Vardha never allowed it in the first place.”

And if there is one thing that Prithviraj is confident of, it’s that the violence will not deter audiences or disturb them. “I don’t think that the violence in Salaar is going to evoke a negative reaction at all. I will be quite surprised if that happens. I have seen all the violent bits in the film and none of them disturb me. It is not the kind of violence where you want to turn your face away from the screen,” he says.

Salaar, which also stars Shruthi Haasan, Jagapathi Babu, Tinnu Anand, Bobby Simha, Sriya Reddy, and Easwari Rao, will release in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi on December 22. Advance bookings for the film are open.