Telugu star Nani has played an action hero several times in his 16-year career. What sets his latest release Saripodhaa Sanivaaram apart from his previous works is its brooding character. “Since the antagonist is full of energy, I decided that I needed to play a character opposite to that. If his hallmark is energy, mine should be intensity,” says the actor.
It would not be wrong to say that filmmakers from the South seem to have cracked the code of the genre. Of late, action films in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada have found a following across the country. In contrast, Bollywood action films underperformed at the box office this year. Nani believes the key to a successful action movie is the story. “Action is not about fancy choreography; it is about emotion, the build-up to a fight and its purpose. You have to focus on building the story. I watched an action movie here [in Bollywood]. I don’t want to name it. It’s brilliantly shot, but here it was a mess. Everything was done very well, but the most important fact was missed: that action needs emotion. Someone is kicking someone else and you don’t feel anything for either of them. So it’s just a well-shot demo reel from an action choreographer.”
Is that what South action actors do well? “We have focused on emotion. There are some great action films in Hindi too. But where they might have failed is in putting too much focus on technique and less on emotion.” That said, one of his favourite action heroes hails from Bollywood. “I am a big fan of Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan sir. I love how Bachchan sir holds one expression and delivers it with double impact. Kamal sir is all about trying new things.”
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