We grew up watching your films: Prabhas to Amitabh Bachchan

MUMBAI: South star Prabhas says he has been a fan of Amitabh Bachchan, his co-star on “Kalki 2898 AD”, since childhood and remembers one of his uncles sporting a hairstyle that the megastar made popular in the 70s.

The actor thanked producer Aswini Dutt and director Nag Ashwin for giving him the opportunity to work with “greatest legends” like Bachchan and Kamal Haasan on the futuristic drama that also stars Deepika Padukone in the lead role.

"It's like a dream," the “Baahubali” star said, recalling how he wanted to touch Bachchan's feet in their first meeting.

"First time, when I went to meet Amitabh sir, I was going to touch his feet and he said, 'Don't do it, if you do it, I'll also do it'. I was like, 'Sir please, I can't even think,” Prabhas said at a promotional event of “Kalki 2898 AD” here last night, which was hosted by his actor friend Rana Daggubati.

According to Prabhas, Bachchan, 81, was the first actor to have achieved mass popularity across India.

"We grew up watching you (his films). One of my uncles had your hairstyle (like Bachchan). He is the first actor who reached every part of the country -- North, South, in Telugu, Tamil, everywhere. We saw men with the Amitabh Bachchan hairstyle (everywhere around us), any tall person was referred to as Amitabh Bachchan,” he said.

Prabhas shared that as a kid he and his cousins would often mimic Haasan, another actor whose popularity has endured over the decades.

“When Kamal sir's 'Sagara Sangamam' came, I had asked my mother to get the (same) dress, my cousin would tuck a cloth on his tummy and act like him (Haasan), and I'm working with them, it's unbelievable.”

Prabhas said he always wanted to work with Deepika.

"There are some actors who can reach so wide on an international level (like her) she is beautiful, gorgeous, a superstar, and a great actor. It's beautiful to work with her," he said about his co-star.

Padukone, who is expecting her first child, said Prabhas took good care of everyone on the sets.

"I'm like this because of all the food that he has fed me. Every day, at one point it was like the food was not only coming from his home it was like a full catering service. The highlight of the day almost became 'what is Prabhas feeding everyone. Those who know him well, know that he feeds from the heart," she said.

In “Kalki 2898 AD”, Padukone plays the role of an expectant mother called Sumathi.

The actor said she was amazed by the passion of the director for the movie when she narrated the script during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's unlike anything we've experienced or seen before. I remember doing the narration for this film through COVID-19, Nagi was on zoom and I was at the other end and I think much like Kamal sir said, you could see sparks of genius in him even though it is just his second or third movie."

When Daggubati asked Padukone if Ashwin pushed her to do method acting, the actor, who is expecting in real life, joked, "The film went on for three years so I thought why not do it for some more months?"

She added she had the most “incredible and a learning experience” while working on “Kalki 2898 AD”, which is set to hit cinema houses on June 27.

"It's been an incredible experience and a learning experience. It was a completely new world. The magic that is in Nagi's head, we all actors discovered along the way and it's finally here for everyone to see. It's been an incredible experience both personally and professionally."