Thriller

Strangely enough,he seems more worried about the swine flu epidemic than the outcome of his forthcoming film. “Is it safe to eat outside?” he asks childlike,seated in his neatly upholstered Lokhandwala pad. He then tells us that Wanted,the remake of his Tamil hit Pokiri is almost ready. “Closer to the release,I will be more nervous. Now I am cool,” he says,showering praises on his protagonist Salman Khan and rubbishing rumours of tiffs with him. “It’s not true. Salman is super. The role is tailor-made for him,” he stresses.

He also denies rumours that his next Bollywood release will see his reported love interest,Nayanthara,make her debut opposite Khan. “I have no such plans. Initially,Salman and I were planning on doing another film together. But then he watched Pokiri and insisted that I direct him in the remake.”

Credited with revolutionising western dance in India,Prabhudheva is known as much for his litheness as his freestyle dancing. So it comes as a surprise that his first film would be an action movie. “I was surprised myself. Even I thought I would make a movie on dance. Next time,” he promises.

Another shocker: Prabhudheva hasn’t choreographed a single song in the film. “The choreography is done by Vaibhavi Merchant and Rajiv Surti. I have contributed by including a few typical Prabhudheva steps,” he winks.

The actor-director says he cannot reveal much about Wanted without giving away the best,but it’s clearly what’s exciting him au courant. “It is a complete action film but we haven’t used any special effects. All the stunts are performed by Salman himself,” he says,adding that Khan is one of the finest dancers he’s seen. “His style is inimitable. Besides him,Hrithik Roshan,Ranbir Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor are excellent.”

At 36,Prabhudheva is one of the few stars who have managed to garner mass appeal from both Bollywood and the South. So then why hasn’t he been a regular in here? “If I get a chance may be I’ll act. Next up,I am directing a Telugu film,” he says,happy about donning the director’s hat for now.

“I am most happy that people remember me and my dance even today,” he says,doing a little jig. A tribute to Jackson too is on his list. “I was a trained Bharatnatyam dancer,but it was MJ’s Thriller video that inspired me to try out a different style of dance which made me a star overnight.”