The Mahesh Babu starrer Bharat Ane Nenu released to packed houses on April 20 and is doing well, thanks to good word-of-mouth and positive reviews. The film’s box office collections are soaring and is likely to break a few records.
Those who have seen Bharat Ane Nenu just aren’t able to stop raving about one particular scene – the Assembly sequence – which goes on for 13 minutes. In an interview to a private television channel, the film’s director Koratala Siva revealed that the idea to shoot that scene at one go came from none other than its hero Mahesh Babu. The star was intent on doing it in a single shot and managed to do it convincingly, which has won him accolades.
In an interview with TV host Pradeep Machiraju, the director was quoted as saying, “Cut by cut would have harmed the scene. What Mahesh sir said is to master the entire scene. That is his habit. Other actors might get scared to do so. He likes to do a complete scene by heart in one take. Assembly would have the beauty of master. We rehearsed two-three times with the entire cast, from the speaker to other actors who played politicians, just to give it a realistic sense.”
Adding to what Siva recounted, Mahesh Babu said, “I cannot read or write Telugu. So, they would tell me dialogues and I would memorise them. By god’s grace, I have a good memory. But in this film, there is a difference in language. The political language, the kind of words they use. We do not even know the pronunciation. It was difficult. So, I would constantly ask and question him (Koratala Siva). He would patiently make me understand. It is an honour to do the scene, be the character.”
BAN, which is the second outing from Koratala Siva and Mahesh Babu after the massive success of Srimanthudu, has the hero playing a chief minister for the first time.
(Content provided by Digital Native)