Prithviraj Sukumaran gave a rocking speech at the Globetrotter event in Hyderabad in the presence of S S Rajamouli, M M Keeravani, Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra and others. Prithviraj began by thanking M M Keeravani for his performance on a theme based on the former’s character. He told the latter, “I’ve grown up listening to all the timeless classics you have made in Malayalam cinema. It’s an absolute honour to finally associate with you on a film.”Prithviraj Sukumaran then said, “A couple of years ago, I was in the midst of my directorial venture when one fine day, I got a message from Rajamouli sir. It said, ‘Hi Prithvi. This is S S Rajamouli. The character of the antagonist in my next film has come out exceedingly well. It is one of the finest characters I have conceived. Would you be interested in doing it?’. These were his exact words. I still have that message.”He added, “I replied with a nonchalant ‘Sure sir’ but I am sure he caught the excitement in me. A few days later, I was in his office with the most beautiful German Shepherd for company! The famous S S Rajamouli narration that my friend Prabhas told me so much about, started. 5 minutes into the narration, I was blown away. For the rest of the 3 hours, I heard it not as an actor listening to a narration pitch but more like a little boy who has laid his hands on the next edition of his favourite comic book! The scale, the vision, the ambition everything was India’s greatest contemporary filmmaking, pushing his own limits to never-before-seen territory.”He continued, “But what truly took my breath away was the audacity of the imagination. How does someone think like this? Where do you find the inspiration to picturize something like this?”Prithviraj Sukumaran exulted, “Remember what I told you about the first 5 minutes? You can get back to it the day this film releases!”He further praised S S Rajamouli, “He trusted me with one of the most complex, the most emotionally and physically character that he has ever taught of. Thank you, sir, for the trust, belief and absolutely torturous process! I wouldn’t have it any other way.”Prithviraj Sukumaran then spoke of Mahesh Babu, “If my memory serves me right, the first Telugu film I ever saw in a theatre was Pokiri (2006). Since then, to now, the way you have owned your heritage and the way you have built your own legacy is truly inspiring. For the superstar you are, you truly deserve this film and this film truly deserves you!”Next, he praised Priyanka Chopra, “I have always been a big, big fan of PC. Jhilmil from Barfi (2012) is on my list of the greatest performances by an Indian actor ever! It’s a privilege to see you transform into Mandakini from such close quarters.”Prithviraj Sukumaran signed off by saying, “This is S S Rajamouli once again taking Indian cinema to the world. This time bigger, hopefully better and definitely more audacious than ever before.”Also Read: BREAKING: S S Rajamouli’s Mahesh Babu-Priyanka Chopra starrer Varanasi the first Indian film which is ‘filmed for IMAX’.
