Young actor Prithviraj who scored a ‘century’ as a leading actor is all set to don the director’s hat for the next six months. Prithviraj has taken a break from acting to direct his dream project ‘Lucifer’ which has superstar Mohanlal in the lead role. 'Koode' directed by Anjali Menon, which is all set to hit the theatres soon, will be Prithviraj’s 100th movie.
The actor confirmed that the filming of 'Lucifer' will begin soon, and that he would return to acting only next year after wrapping up his maiden directorial venture.
Prithviraj recollected that when he was acting in his debut movie, he was unsure whether he would get a chance to do another movie. “While I was acting in my first movie, I considered it just a leisurely activity which I chose to do when I came home on a vacation from Australia where I was studying. After doing three or four movies, I thought of returning to Australia to complete my course. At the university where I studied, a semester could be extended up to six months. So there was no problem to resume my studies there. I realised that my career was in the movies only when I was doing ‘Vellithira’ (2003). After that I began to take acting very seriously,” Prithviraj said while recalling his early days as an actor.
Lone Indian at Tasmania
The actor revealed that he was only 17-year-old when he reached the Australian island of Tasmania as a student. The only Indian among the 12,000 students at the University of Tasmania, Prithviraj found it a thrilling experience.
He had enrolled for a bachelor’s degree in information technology and love Tasmania. “The campus life there is hardly anything like a native of Kerala would imagine. In fact I never got the chance to enjoy my campus life. I never visited Australia after becoming an actor. It is a beautiful country suited for filming movies,” he said.
Director’s hat
Prithviraj confessed that his new role as a director is not something which he had planned. The award-winning actor said, “It was my dream to direct a movie. However I never got the time owing to my commitments as an actor. It was on the sets of ‘Tiyaan’ at the Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, that actor Murali Gopy told me he was writing the script for a movie with Mohanlal in the lead. When I asked him who the director was, he replied that it hasn’t been decided. He then asked me whether I was interested to direct it. I said I was interested; however I expressed my concern whether the producer of the movie would agree. I was worried if they would dismiss it as a ‘craze’ of a young actor.”
“Murali Gopy then called producer Antony Perumbavoor and told him about my interest to direct it. Antony reached Hyderabad the next day and called Mohanlal on his phone for me to talk. That is how I became a director within just 24 hours,” revealed Prithviraj.
Prithviraj has no intention to reveal the story and theme of ‘Lucifer’ now. He only confirmed that his brother, actor Indrajith too would be playing a significant role in the movie. The filming of the movie will begin on July 16 near Kuttikanam and Vandiperiyar in Idukki district.
“Only the producer knows the budget of the movie. The filming will be completed before the end of this year. It is the producer who decides when to release the movie,” said the actor when asked on film details.
Strong on stands
“I don’t believe that the recent incidents which shook the cinema industry have created enemies. I have always expressed my stand on various issues. I will stay true to that in the future as well. A while ago some people tried to hurt me by unleashing mockery and insult, but it never really affected me. I am not scared that I would be destroyed even if someone tries to. This sort of strength is need to survive in this era, especially when the social media is so popular,” concluded Prithviraj.
