Prabhas has been one of the biggest action stars in Indian cinema for years. But recently, a section of viewers has been questioning how much of his action he actually performs himself.
The debate became especially loud after The Raja Saab. Many viewers felt that body doubles were used for a large part of Prabhas’ action scenes, with his face added digitally in some shots. This created a negative impression that the actor was avoiding physically demanding sequences.
Now, veteran stunt masters Ram-Lakshman have given a different picture.
The duo, who have worked on several major Telugu films and are also part of The Paradise, say Prabhas is actually very interested in performing his own action scenes. According to them, the actor is always ready to come to the set when his action portions are scheduled. They say he has no hesitation about performing demanding scenes.
There is also a practical side to this debate.
Modern Indian cinema has changed dramatically. Pan-India films are now competing with some of the biggest action movies in the country. Audiences expect bigger stunts, better physicality and action that looks dangerous on screen.
So, using a body double for certain shots does not automatically mean a hero is avoiding action. Even Tom Cruise and Shah Rukh Khan, who are famous for performing dangerous stunts themselves, use body doubles when required.
This makes the discussion around Fauzi even more interesting in which Ram and Lakshman have choreographed some of the action scenes. Prabhas is expected to have a physically demanding role in the film, with substantial action. If he is genuinely pushing himself for these sequences, Fauzi could show a very different side of him.
More importantly, strong action in Fauzi could finally silence at least some of the body-double trolling surrounding Prabhas.
