Audience will have a blast: Mahesh Babu

Superstar Mahesh Babu, who plays Army Major Ajay Krishna, says, "I had to unlearn a lot to do this larger-than-life role and it is a kind of tribute to every Indian soldier. In fact, I had goosebumps when we shot our theme song in Kashmir," he said, while interacting with the media to promote his upcoming film 'Sarileru Neekevvaru.'"I was floored by the overwhelming response for the first look and trailer which has gone beyond my expectations. This film will go down as one of the best films in my career. I am thankful to director Anil Ravipudi who made this multi-layered entertainer loaded with hilarious moments. Surely, the audience will have a blast," he informs.

He claims that he watched Anil Ravipudi's 'F2' along with his family and his kids went berserk. "I had never seen Sitara and Gautam laughing like that. I too laughed a lot. Later, Namrata spoke to Anil and everything fell in place, as he readied the complete script in just few months. I was doing serious movies like 'Bharat Ane Nenu' and 'Maharshi' and I wanted to explore new genre and Anil arrived at the right time," he adds. However, he rules out any similarities with his earlier comic-caper 'Dookudu.' "It is very different from 'Dookudu' in more ways than one, although I can't reveal the storyline," he reasons. On wearing a lungi for the commoner look, he adds, "My lungi look in 'Sarileru Neekevvaru' is totally fresh. Fans have never seen me like this before. It is going to be a new and different experience to them altogether," he points out.

Talking about his co-star and popular actress Vijayashanti he says that they struck a chord from day one. "Although, we met one or two times in between our warmth has remained intact. It has been 30 years since we worked together in 'Koduku Diddina Kapuram,' but it felt like yesterday. Nonetheless, it was great working with her again. I wish to do more movies with Vijayashanti madam," he informs. Similarly, talking about his co-star and new-age sensation Rashmika Mandanna, he adds, "Right from the first day, she gelled well and gave her best. I think, new actors have this advantage. Their performance has some freshness. We consciously wanted some fresh heroine. I think Rashmika was apt for this role," he added.

Interestingly, Mahesh Babu claims that he has honed his dancing skills and has done two foot-tapping numbers in the much-hyped movie. "Dancing has become more of a necessity than choice in commercial movies. So, I worked hard with choreographer Sekhar Master and I could do some intricate moves in two numbers to enthrall my fans, "he concludes. - BVS