Prashanth Neel admits he was terrified of meeting Jr NTR for 'Dragon': 'I thought it might be toxic for me'

‘KGF’ and ‘Salaar’ fame director Prashanth Neel is working with Jr NTR for the first time in the upcoming pan-India film ‘Dragon’. On Jr NTR’s birthday, the makers released the first teaser of the film and introduced the actor as an assassin named Luger. Recently, Neel spoke about his experience of working with the ‘RRR’ star.While speaking with Galatta Plus, Prashanth Neel said he has been a fan of the actor for the last 25 years. The director shared that he was very excited when the production house asked him to meet NTR for the film. But at the same time, he also felt scared and nervous before meeting him.“I was extremely excited. At the same time, I was also afraid. The persona I had seen on screen and the kind of energy he carries. I thought it might be toxic for me,” he added.Prashanth Neel said the powerful image of Jr NTR on screen made him feel intimidated in the beginning. He explained that he thought the actor might be someone who could not easily change his opinions.He further said, “Looking at him from the outside, it felt like you couldn’t change his mind. Usually, I need to fall in love with my heroes because we are literally married to each other for a couple of years while making a film. So it was intimidating to meet him.”After spending time together, Prashanth Neel said his opinion about Jr NTR changed completely. He said the actor is practical and honest in the way he approaches work.“He is family to me now. One thing I understood about him is that he is stubborn — but in a very honest way. He is not somebody who hides his stubbornness,” the director shared. The filmmaker also said that working with Jr NTR became very comfortable after they started understanding each other better during the film.Prashanth Neel revealed that he never wanted to control Jr NTR’s acting style in ‘Dragon’. He said the actor naturally understood the role of Luger without needing many instructions.“There was no way I was going to tell him, ‘You should act like this or walk like this.’ He would do it naturally,” he said.The director added that the moment Jr NTR came on set and performed as Luger, he understood that the actor had completely connected with the character. Prashanth Neel said he was very happy with what Jr NTR brought to the film and praised the actor for understanding the drama and emotion of the story perfectly.