Kannada star Sudeep handpicked for animation film

Picture this. With as many as eight super hits, out one after the other, to his credit, Rajmouli is one Telugu film director who has every huge star and producer waiting to give up anything to be able to work with him. Think Vikramarkudu, Yamadonga, Magadheera or even the more recent Maryada Ramanna — each one has only made Rajmouli’s career graph soar higher than ever. But what’s an even bigger deal today is the fact that when Rajmouli decided to look out for an actor who could stand his ground with pure performance, the only name that came to him was that of a star closer home — Sudeep.

“I am honoured that someone of his stature sought out to work with me,” says Sudeep quite simply. “I was invited to his home where we discussed his next script — Eega. Rajmouli thought I would fit in well with the character he has etched after he watched my performance in Rann. The film will be shot in Telugu and Tamil simultaneously,” he reveals.

The animation film, Eega, is a story about a man and a housefly. And as one would expect, this would allow Sudeep more than his share of solo performances in one film. “While staying commercial, it comes across as a Walt Disney kind of a film. It is a different genre alright, quite different from anything that I have done in my career of 10 years. I am quite excited about starting on it,” says Sudeep. The team will see a formal launch on December 7 in Hyderabad, followed by the shoot, which will begin only by January 25 next year. “I need to complete and release the Kannada films I am working on right now before I join the team there,” he explains.

This new development is surely a huge feather in Sudeep’s cap as it is not every day that an actor gets handpicked for projects across industries. The actor’s film Phoonk was dubbed and released in Telugu as well. And now with Rakta Charitra 2, wherein Sudeep plays a substantial role, hitting the screens shortly, his will be a face that the Telugu audience would recognise and relate to easily. “Just getting to work with Rajmouli is itself a huge deal. With this, my diary is looking great, thanks to the kind of names of people I have worked with so far. It is a good feeling to see 10 years of hard work paying off,” concludes Sudeep.