Prithviraj Sukumaran is gearing up for the release of his much-awaited directorial venture, ‘L2: Empuraan‘, which serves as the second instalment in a planned trilogy following the 2019 hit ‘Lucifer’. The Mohanlal-starrer is all set to hit theatres on March 27, and the entire industry, along with fans, is rooting for their favourite director-actor duo.
In a recent interview, Prithviraj spoke about feeling nervous while delivering dialogues and recalled a moment when Abhishek Bachchan shared how Amitabh Bachchan would have sleepless nights before delivering lengthy dialogues in his films.
In an interview with Galatta Plus, Prithviraj was asked whether he feels nervous about delivering dialogues or acting in a language he is not entirely fluent in. The Aadujeevitham actor admitted to feeling nervous and added that he experiences it even when performing in his native language. He recalled a moment from the shooting of his 2010 film with Abhishek Bachchan, where Abhishek spoke about his father, Amitabh Bachchan, going through intense rehearsals before delivering a lengthy dialogue the next day.
“I remember we were talking about this film called Baghban, in which Bachchan sir delivers a long monologue in the climax. I told Abhishek that if any other actor had done it, it might have come across as overly dramatic and ineffective, but Bachchan sir just holds you. You want to cry with him,” he shared.
He further recalled Abhishek telling him, “If tomorrow he (Amitabh) has a scene where he has to deliver a long monologue in Hindi—and Bachchan sir is probably the best in Hindi diction—he still, the previous night, holds that piece of paper, walks around, and studies it.” Prithviraj expressed his amazement at how even an actor of Amitabh Bachchan’s stature practises his dialogues diligently and still experiences nervousness. He added that this level of effort is what makes Bachchan who he is.
He also shared a similar experience with Mohanlal and Mammootty. While working with Mammootty in the 2010 film Pokkiri Raja, there was a small change in a particular dialogue just minutes before the shoot. Mammootty was rehearsing his lines in his caravan and called the Salaar actor over to ask if he was delivering the dialogue correctly. “They have their doubts, their own uncertainties about what they’re doing. And it’s that self-doubt and nervous energy that, I believe, truly makes an actor great,” he concluded.
On the work front, there are rumours that Prithviraj may collaborate with SS Rajamouli and Mahesh Babu for their big-scale film ‘SSMB29’.
