Baahubali and Bajrangi Bhaijaan have one thing in common which is that they have been written by the same writer, i.e., KV Vijayendra Prasad. He talked about both the movies and their achievements in an interview…
KV Vijayendra Prasad, who is also a director besides being a writer, strongly feels that the movie Baahubali directed by his son SS Rajamouli should not be limited to one language or one film industry, in fact the success of Baahubali should be rejoiced by the whole Indian Film Industry as a triumph.
Baahubali released on 10th of July and in 10 days it has earned Rs. 350 crore worldwide and KVVP is absolutely delighted with this superb response, he says “The success of Baahubalibelongs to Indian cinema. Although it’s being celebrated as Telugu cinema’s biggest achievement, I feel it shouldn’t be restricted to one industry or language.”
Baahubali is made in two languages – Telugu and Tamil, released in Hindi and Malayalam as dubbed version, he says “The fact that the film has been accepted nationally and has done well in other languages proves that it doesn’t belong to one industry. The success of the film is a big achievement in Indian cinema.”
KVVP tells the importance of viewers and their contribution in the success of a movie when he said “Audiences decide the fate of any film. Nobody can guarantee the success of a film. When my son started working on ‘Baahubali’, he didn’t set out to make a blockbuster. He made a film that we believed will be accepted globally and the numbers have proved it.”
He is very happy that both the movies are getting the love of audience; he states “I’m happy that two good films have been unanimously appreciated and accepted. Even if I had not written these films, I’d have wished the same because only when good cinema gets its due credit, will we get more such films.”
If idea of Baahubali shaped up from the Epic Mahabharat, Bajrangi Bhaijaan’s story came up from two sources, first was an old Chiranjeevi movie “Pasivadi Pranam” while second source was a true story, KVP tells in detail “Chiranjeevi’s 1987 Telugu film Pasivadi Pranam moved me a lot. I wanted to rehash it and give it a contemporary touch. I had also learnt about the story of a Pakistani couple who came to India for their daughter’s heart surgery because they couldn’t afford it in their country. The parents were touched by the generosity of the Indians so much that they couldn’t stop talking about it. This got me thinking. I decided to work on a story that connected people over India-Pakistan border.”
Bajrangi Bhaijaan is produced by Salman Khan and Rockline Venkatesh, the Kannada producer, the director of the movie is Kabir Khan. KVVP tells that the first choice was Aamir Khan for Bajrangi Bhaijaan. ”It was through an acquaintance we met Aamir Khan and narrated the story. He loved it, but could not sign it as he was busy with other commitments. Later, I met Kabir Khan, who made me narrate the story to Salman, who upon hearing it immediately agreed to do it,” KVVP said.
It is said that Rajinikanth, Puneeth Rajkumar and Allu Arjun were also asked to join the project but now KVVP feels that Salman was the best choice. In the words of KVVP, “All the work he’s been doing through his Being Human foundation, particularly, the 2,000 heart operations he recently funded, made him apt for the lead role of Pawan/Bajrangi. And thanks to his humanitarian acts, Salman gave the character a realistic touch.”
The Senior writer is filled with zeal and enthusiasm for his next Hindi Project, he talks about it “It’ll be about Baghmati’s love story with a reincarnation angle. I plan to make it as a bilingual in Hindi and Telugu with a popular South star. If the bilingual idea is not feasible, I’ll just make it in Hindi and release it nationally.”
Presently he is busy with a Telugu project, which is yet to be titled. He talks about it, “This will be my first attempt at a thriller. It’s based on some research on psychological disorder. Interestingly, the lead character in this film is a lesbian, and I’m curious to know how our audiences will react to it.”