Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas in a still from ‘Chatrapathi’
Nine years after his debut Telugu film Alludu Seenu, actor Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas says he is at a point where he is starting all over again. Chatrapathi, releasing in theatres on May 12, will be his debut Hindi film. Sreenivas was barely 12 years old when the original Telugu film of the same name, directed by S S Rajamouli and headlined by Prabhas, had released in theatres. He remembers, “I was in seventh or eighth grade. I came out of the theatre all pumped up and energised, a changed person. With our version of the film in Hindi, we are hoping to recreate a similar euphoria.”
It has been two years since his last Telugu film Alludu Adhurs and Sreenivas says he and director V V Vinayak were keen to move away from the trend of making films for a pan-India market and approach the Chatrapathi remake as a full-fledged Hindi film. “Vijayendra Prasad sir wrote a new script and the remake will be relevant for the contemporary audience.”
When the opportunity of a Hindi remake came up, Sreenivas took his time to give his nod. “When the producers approached me, it wasn’t like I said yes immediately. I took a couple of days to think if this would be the right film for my Hindi debut. I rewatched Chatrapathi and was convinced that I should not let go of this opportunity.”
A still from ‘Chatrapathi’
The film went on floors in 2021 with Rajamouli attending the launch. Sreenivas avers that while Telugu-speaking people still fondly remember Chatrapathi and revisit it online, for the rest of India it is a lesser known film. “Rajamouli sir blessed our film and was happy that we are remaking it. This film is our tribute to him, in recognition of his contribution to Telugu cinema. This is the least we could do.” Sreenivas adds that Rajamouli’s earlier films such as Vikramarkudu (as Rowdy Rathore) and Maryada Ramanna (as Son of Sardaar) have found takers in Hindi cinema and since he knows the pulse of the audience well, this film too has the scope to work.
The new Chatrapathi, Sreenivas explains, retains the crux of the original story of the protagonist standing up for his people and the emotional ties involving the mother and the brother’s characters. However, the script has gone through changes. “The run time will be a little over two hours. We have tried to make some of the action episodes better, given the technological advancements and safety measures available these days. They had limitations back then. Today we can jump off 300 feet with safety harnesses.”
The Hindi Chatrapathi was filmed in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Bhavnagar and Alang shipping yard. Sreenivas is confident that once the audience enters the theatres, they will be engaged with what is happening in the world of Chatrapathi. “The toughest part was executing the action drama during the pandemic. I had to maintain my toned physique for over a year and a half since we had to pause filming during lockdowns. This is not a film that we could work on with a limited crew. So we paused and regrouped when things got better. Rescheduling the dates of everyone involved was tough. But we did not want to compromise. Cinema is everything for me.”
Sreenivas has known director V V Vinayak since his childhood. His father, Bellamkonda Suresh, had produced Vinayak’s first film Aadi, starring NTR Jr. Vinayak directed Sreenivas’s Telugu debut film Alludu Seenu as well. “I was the only newcomer on the sets of Alludu Seenu. Samantha, Prakash Raj and others were established actors. This time, both me and Vinayak sir are like newcomers. We worked with a crew in Mumbai since we wanted Chatrapathi to look completely like a Hindi film. Mayur Puri wrote the dialogues. This film is a test for both of us.”
Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas in a still from ‘Chatrapathi’
In the last couple of years, Sreenivas says wherever he has travelled he has been recognised and loved. The Hindi dubbed versions of his Telugu films, he says, have clocked in over two billion views on YouTube collectively. “It feels good to be recognised even before my Hindi debut.”
Incidentally, this is his third remake after Speedunnodu (remake of the Tamil film Sundarapandian) and Rakshasudu (remake of Tamil thriller Rakshasan). “Three is my lucky number,” he says with a laugh, and adds, “I go with the flow.”
Next, he will be acting in director Sagar Chandra’s film. Ask him if it will be in Telugu and Hindi and he responds, “It depends on how Chatrapathi is received from May 12. If the response is good, my next film will be shot in both Hindi and Telugu. I do not like the idea of dubbing a Telugu film and releasing it in Hindi. The script has to be worked upon specifically for a language and I like to speak my lines.”
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