‘KGF was a quintessential Salim–Javed-Amitabh Bachchan film,’ says Salaar actor Prithviraj Sukumaran

Meanwhile, during a recent conversation with Film Companion, the actor-filmmaker opened up about KGF and Neel’s impact on him and the realm of cinema, and how it initially attracted him. “It’s not like I saw the whole KGF 2 before it was released. I did see some portions of it (before taking it up for distribution). From that, I kind of knew that it was going to be much bigger. I expected the film to do well, yes. But I did not anticipate it to achieve what it ultimately did,” Prithviraj said.

Noting his immediate and enduring admiration for KGF: Chapter 1, Prithviraj emphasised that, to this day, he likes the first instalment more than the second. “KGF 1, to me, was a quintessential Salim–Javed-Amitabh Bachchan 70s film that I am still a big fan of. It just blew me away in terms of styling and aesthetics; and Yash was, of course, fantastic in it,” he observed.

“Not just me, but for almost every Malayalam filmmaker, KGF 1 had a similar impact as Amal Neerad’s Mammootty-starrer Big B (2007) did. We were just completely caught off guard by somebody coming in and doing something that none of us even thought of,” he added. “KGF 2 was a very good film… but because of how new KGF 1 was at that time, I still pick KGF 1 over 2,” he noted.

Commenting on the over-the-top aspects of Salaar, Prithviraj emphasised that what is written on paper represents more than just a line; it embodies a vision. He further explained that the line or dialogue is merely a small component of the overall vision. The actor-filmmaker remarked, “When you hear Neel’s narration, you’re immersed in his vision. He’s sharing his perspective on how he envisions the film.”

“When you hear a dialogue like ‘Violence, violence, violence. I don’t like it, I avoid. But violence likes me,’ it may not initially make sense. However, it was incredibly effective at that specific point, in that particular film, when that particular character and actor delivered it!”

“That’s why I emphasise the importance of vision. When you listen to Neel’s narration, you will grasp the world he’s crafting and once you immerse yourself in that world, this line and the over-the-top action will make sense. Once you are in Khansaar, you’ll realise that the violence serves a purpose. Therefore, establishing the vision and the film’s world is crucial,” Prithviraj added.