The entire team has put a lot of faith on 'Andhagan'
In this freewheeling chat with DT Next, actor Prashanth, fondly known as Topstar Prashanth, is all set for the release of his film Andhagan, the official remake of Hindi film Andhadhun. He tells us how being a trained pianist helped him for the role and working under his father Thiagarajan’s direction
Actor Prashanth (Photo: Manivasagan)
CHENNAI: It has been a while since Prashanth has graced the silverscreens in lead roles. But he sees the positive side of it. “Andhagan is worth the wait. The entire team has put their heart and soul behind the project. There is Urvashi, Simran, Yogi Babu, Priya Anand, KS Ravikumar and Manobala. This cast ensemble put their faith in the movie and dedicated themselves. Yes, there has been delay but we are here, ready to release the movie on August 15,” he begins.
Though Prashanth is aware that comparisons will be drawn, he keeps it a low key affair. “Andhagan may be better than its original or on par with it. I don’t want to go there (comparisons). But we have made a good film. It will be visually striking and Ravi Yadav’s visuals are proof of it. He is someone who has always been way ahead of his time. He set the trend even in Chembaruthi (1992) and worked with lenses, which no other cinematographer did at that time. He is still on top of his game, which has done a world of good for Andhagan,” adds the actor.
Prashanth is thankful that he is directed by his father, the legendary Thiagarajan and also went all out in acquiring the film. “When I have someone like appa, who is my guiding light, everything else is taken care of. Firstly, he is someone who has no time to watch movies or direct movies. But, it was only on sets he made me wonder how he keeps himself updated. He doesn’t sit and plan a scene. Appa walks into the sets, takes a glance and makes adjustments within a few minutes and we are good to go. I still have a lot to learn from him,” he smiles with amusement as he reminisces.
Being a trendsetter in the 90s, Prashanth played almost every role and has worked with almost every top Indian technician, from Mani Ratnam to Shankar to AR Rahman in the initial stages of his career. “I am lucky to be a part of pioneering films like Chembaruthi, Jeans and Thiruda Thiruda. Then came films like Ponnar Shankar and Winner. The funniest part is, when I told people that these are the films I am working on, they were sceptical if the team could pull it off because they were magnanimous at that point in time. Now, as you said, I have been a part of several stories doesn’t mean that I would keep saying ‘no’ to things that come my way now. Stories are just the same in every movie, it is the screenplay that I am looking at right now,” he remarks.
Coming back to Andhagan, Prashanth is a trained pianist. He says that it helped him make the character look more authentic. “Playing a pianist on screen could be subject to a lot of criticism if not done well. Especially when it comes to swaying the hands and caressing the keys, they have to be done in a delicate manner. You will see that when the film releases,” he tells us.
Though he promises us that he would be seen on screen more often from now, Prashanth adds, “I wouldn’t want to scream about my upcoming projects before it takes off. There will be a couple of interesting announcements in the coming days.”
Topstar @actorprashanth, is all set for the release of his film Andhagan, the official remake of Hindi film Andhadhun.
— DT Next (@dt_next) August 6, 2024
To read what he told team DT Next
: https://t.co/hT12YW8zAv
Inframe: @iamkaushikr
: @manivasagan_
Edits: Kevi JJ#dtnext #tamil #cinema #prashanth pic.twitter.com/rddooqfOmO
