Sudeep was one of the first contemporary stars to build some serious body of work outside his home ground, the Kannada film industry. He has continued to throw surprises when it comes to the choices he makes as an actor and storyteller. “I just got the right opportunities and I just went by my instincts. There is no designing or pre-planned steps I have taken. Whatever came my way and excited me, I did it. And the fact that people in other industries wanted to work with me, was a great feeling and I grabbed it,” Sudeep told indianexpress.com. Sudeep enjoys a huge fan following across Karnataka. If he wants, he could have remained within his comfort zone and lived off no-brainer masala films. But, time and again, the actor has shown the will to explore new territories, setting himself apart from his contemporaries. Sudeep is so secure about his stardom that it doesn’t stop him from taking on negative roles in films of other languages. He played a straight-up sociopath in director SS Rajamouli’s Eega. He essayed the role of a typical run-of-the-mill villain in Vijay’s Puli. And he crossed swords with Salman Kahan in Dabangg 3. He has also played supporting roles in the Rakta Charitra series, Baahubali: The Beginning and Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy. “I don’t sit with a pre-conceived notion that I can’t do this or that. I don’t put limitations on myself. If it excites me, I just go ahead. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. I am a believer. I am a filmmaker and actor, and I’d like to cater myself to many, many things and not barricade myself to one particular thing. I don’t like to work under some radar. I would like to travel. I’d continue to do films for my directors and writers of my own state, also for all those people who write for me in other industries,” he said. Sudeep is now busy promoting his upcoming movie Vikrant Rona, which is touted as the most expensive film in his career. He is very confident the film will cater to the imagination of viewers across the country. “If you are looking forward to a mystery thriller, Vikrant Rona is one of a kind. If you are looking for a thriller on a big scale, it’s one of its kind. As a 3D movie, it is one of its kind. More than anything, I loved its content and the presentation. I wouldn’t have agreed to do this film otherwise. Yes, there will also be a lot of twists and turns that will take you by surprise. And the experience is going to be very new to you,” he added. Vikrant Rona has a comic book flair. Sudeep always wanted to do a movie with the production and aesthetic value of blockbusters like Indian Jones and Jumanji. And when he landed this movie, he saw an opportunity to realise his vision. “When the story was narrated to me, it was on a different scale. And I sat with Anup Bhandari (the film’s director) and took it to another level. We had a vision for this film and we are happy that we could reach there,” he said. Sudeep acknowledged that the business of entertainment has undergone a tectonic shift in the last couple of years. And yet he’s confident that Vikrant Rona ticks all the right boxes when it comes to the new definition of a movie worthy of the big screen. “We just worked on our vision. I think we were much ahead of time when we developed this vision. And today, we have positioned ourselves well,” the actor concluded. Vikrant Rona is due in cinemas on July 28.
