The role in Athidhi seems to be quite similar to the one you essayed in Pokiri -- the film had a 'Pokiri hangover' in parts. In that sense, was it relatively easy to do Athidhi?
First of all, I don't think they are similar films. They are different films and I don't think it's fair to compare the two films. In my opinion, since they are different films I had a very different time doing Pokiri as opposed to doing Athidhi.
Athidhi had a large dose of violence particularly towards the climax. How do you view violence in cinema?
It is a film. When you do a film, you try to entertain the audience to the best of your capabilities. Violence is how you perceive it. If you look at it in terms of a film and understand it in terms of a story, you would go with it as opposed to just looking at it saying this is violent, that is violent. Even Pokiri had a lot of violence. People took it differently because as a film Pokiri was totally different.
It is how you perceive violence; with what frame of mind you go to see the film. If you are just going to get entertained and watch a good film, you will go and enjoy the film for its sake as opposed to critically analyzing it.
I don't think there is anything wrong with Athidhi if one looks at it from the story point of view. From the story's perspective, the character is human -- for tomorrow if one were put in the same situation as the character, one would probably do the same thing. It's how the director has envisioned the film. It justifies the character for sure. We are not independently talking of violence. I do not promote violence for action. It is what the character demands. In some it is more and in some, it is less.
In the picture: Mahesh Babu in a still from Pokiri.
Also read: Waiting for Athidi
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