Prince Has A British Connection: Sivakarthikeyan

Prince marks the Telugu debut of Kollywood star Sivakarthikeyan and the bilingual also marks Tamil debut of Anudeep KV. Billed to be a rom-com, Prince will be arriving in cinemas on 21st of this month. Interim, Sivakarthikeyan interacted with media. Here are the excerpts:

How did Prince happen?
As an actor, one has to do films in all languages to entertain the audience and get appreciation. Coming to Prince, fun and entertaining movies are hardly made of late. I love watching comedy movies. I met Anudeep once through my friend. I loved a line narrated by him. Prince is a universal subject. Both Telugu and Tamil audiences will like it. Dialogues and comedy are very organic.

What point excited you when Anudeep narrated the story?
I watched Anudeep’s Jathi Ratnalu. There is pure innocence in the characters written by Anudeep. The Characters react in unexpected ways. Prince is about an Indian who falls in love with a British girl. But the mindset of people in that town is different when it comes to love and marriage. The idea of breaking that mindset excited me. Sathyaraj’s role also excited me. Sathyaraj’s character tells his son, “Don’t marry a girl of our caste and religion.” It’s a very unique character.

Did you do dub for your character?
No. In my opinion, dubbing should be done, only if one is thorough with the language. Dialogue modulation is very important. I try to interact with Anudeep in Telugu. However, I’m not fluent in the language to dub for my character.

What kind of body language does Prince have?
My last movie Varun Doctor is a dark comedy. There was no smile or emotion in my character. But that’s where the humor comes from. In real life, I can’t go half an hour without laughing like that. (Laughs) I can relate to the character of Prince. Anudeep designed his own body language for the character. I used to act in every scene only after Anudeep enacts it in Telugu.

How did you feel doing a Telugu film for the first time?
Prince is a challenging project. Anudeep wrote it in Telugu. I’m pleased with the outcome. I’m wishing to do bilingual films in the future as well. Vijay is doing a movie with Vamshi Paidipally. Also, Ram Charan and Shankar are working together. It is a very good development to make a film together in both industries. Films like KGF, RRR, Vikram, and Kanthara received great success. The south industry is now in great condition.

Tamil heroes mostly do action entertainers, isn’t that the reason why you are doing entertainment-oriented films?
In the coming days, I will be doing different kinds of films. I’m doing a science fiction. There is also a fantasy movie. I wish to star in films of all genres.

How is your selection of stories?
I don’t think about the previous movie when choosing a story. I make sure not to repeat stories. I will look for selling points in stories. There are many factors to consider like why should the audience watch this movie? What’s new in it? Whether critics like it or not?

What do you say about your 10 years of journey in the industry?
After working in TV, I got into movies. I grew up as a solo hero, after playing small roles initially. Every experience has helped my career. I can’t forget the love showered by the audience over these ten years.

Your journey is compared with that of Nani in Telugu?
Yes. Nani garu also worked as an anchor and as assistant director. Even the audience says that we look similar. Nani also had an inspiring journey.

What is the justification of Prince’s title?
Prince’s story has a British connection. There is a kingdom feeling. Also, my fans on social media call me Prince. So, we named this film ‘Prince’.

About the producers of Prince?
Suresh Production is a legendary production house. They have a history of making great films in Tamil as well. I’m happy to be a part of Suresh production. Suniel is the reason why this project happened. He’s very encouraging from the beginning. Shanthi Talkies Arun has done this project with great coordination.

Which directors would you like to work with in Telugu?
Rajamouli. Everyone wants to work with him. Also, I like Trivikram and Sukumar’s movies.

What are your next projects?
I’m doing a film titled ‘Mahaveerudu’ with Madonne Ashwin directing it.