As many might have observed from the trailer of Saaho, it gave the vibe of a Bollywood flick being dubbed into Telugu. The same was reflected in the movie, and most of it was due to the songs and supporting cast which predominantly comprised of Hindi actors. Baahubali, on the other hand, was a totally Telugu movie with a couple of Tamil actors.
Looking at the openings and general talk surrounding Saaho, it would be fair to say that it was a neither here nor there, kind of output. What worked ‘everywhere’ was the grand action and lavish making from a star whose last films were Baahubali movies.
If Prabhas makes another film in a similar fashion, the reaction would be sharper. Saaho was coming of Baahubali movies, but remember the next one will be coming after Saaho. Weak content won’t get the same reception.
Picking a subject, balancing both the sets of the audience would be a difficult task. However, we hope that Prabhas always keeps his native audience, i.e. Telugu audience in mind. A typical mass Telugu movie will not find the same response in Hindi when made with too much nativity. But, when the same film is made with a universal approach keeping the mass sensibilities (read elevations) intact, it should click with the Hindi and Telugu people as well. After all, mass elements are the same for any audience. This is the Baahubali model.
To give an example, let’s take Aravindha Sametha. Think a movie with the same high octane action blocks but with a universally appealing set up. Mix up such films with urban family dramas or an action thriller like Dhruva. The names are suggested only to give an idea on the type of subjects to pick and not to imagine Prabhas in them.
In the past, Southern stars got success by remaking their successful films in Hindi with a different star cast. Among them, Kamal Haasan went a step ahead and made bilingual, but failed big time due to too much of local flavour. That is what should be avoided, but at the same time, not get into Saaho terrain.
It is easier said than done, undoubtedly. The grandeur is an essential factor as well, going by Saaho’s reception. The movies have to be spaced out properly to maintain the elusive factor. There are multiple things like this which Prabhas has to take care of. He is in a unique position in the history of Indian cinema. Here’s hoping Prabhas makes the best use of it.
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