I'm a creative person, I don't care about money: Prabhudeva

Actor, dancer, choreographer and filmmaker ' Prabhudheva wears many hats. But currently, he is the most 'wanted' man in Bollywood for his ability to churn out money-spinners. From Wanted, which saw the resurrection of Salman Khan as the action hero, to Rowdy Rathore, that gave Akshay Kumar a place in the exclusive `100 crore club ' Prabhudheva has managed to skyrocket the brand value of the biggest stars in B-Town.But now, the director has his task cut out for him. After making blockbusters with the stars, the filmmaker is all set to launch newcomer Girish Kumar in the forthcoming Ramaiya Vastavaiya, which is a remake of his directorial debut, Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana.
And the idea of 'comparisons' is bothering the director for sometime now. 'I sincerely hope there are no comparisons with my past Bollywood films. Those movies were with superstars. Apart from acting in the movie, they also bring to the table loads of experience and a tremendous fan following. My next film is with a newcomer. And the audience should keep this in mind. This is my real test,' explains the director.
Even though he feels the pressure of his upcoming film, it's the strain of audience's acceptance that bothers him more than the cash registers. 'People have been talking a lot about how my movies make a lot of money. But I don't really care about those things. I do my job and leave the rest to God and the audience. The only strain I'm feeling right now, is the burden of audience expectations,' confesses the filmmaker, who admits to being careless about the financial aspect of movie making. 'I'm a creative person. I don't care about money. That's the job of the producers and distributors,' he says.
With two blockbusters under his belt, the filmmaker admits that it was his third film that proved to be the toughest. 'It's difficult to quantify the work that I have put into this film. Imagine Bollywood as a swimming pool and the stars as international swimmers. Girish is a novice, who will jump into this pool to compete with the rest of them. So, yes, as a good coach I did have to work hard,' laughs Prabhudheva, while making the comparison. While the trailers of his movie have been airing for quite sometime now, the general perception however suggests that the filmmaker did not do much to adapt the story according to the sensibilities of the Hindi movie watching audience. If anything, the South Indian flavour in the film seems intact. 'I'll be honest ' I did not change a thing in the film. In fact, for three days and night, my writers and I sat and tried to work on the adaptation.
But somehow it did not work. I wanted the essence of the original movie, Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana, to remain intact. There was something magical about it and I finally decided to let everything be the same instead of trying to change stuff to showcase my adaptation skills,' explains the filmmaker. Quiz him if the audience will be able to relate to the film and he is quick to reply, 'Bollywood does not mean Mumbai alone. It also comprises all Hindi speaking belts in the country and these belts do have villages. So, I don't think a story set in a village will be that incomprehensible for city folk to enjoy. It's all about being desi cool!' With the filmmaker recently making a comeback as an actor in the dance-based film, Anybody Can Dance (ABCD), one can't help but quiz him if acting is still a priority, after all these years.
'Nothing of that sort. The reason I took up ABCD was because I loved the script and it was a dance-based film. But as such, I never plan my next move ' whether it's my life or my career. I am a very impulsive person and I go with the flow,' admits Prabhudheva. But dance still remains a priority for the director, even though he admits to taking a backseat in the choreography department, now that he has turned filmmaker.
'I don't do the choreography in my films. I prefer to give others a chance. I know people love me for my moves, but there are others too who are fabulous. And I like using different choreographers because they always bring something new and exciting to the table. I'm not insecure or selfish. In fact, with someone else heading the choreography department, it takes a great load off my head, and I am able to concentrate on the primary task of making a film. Simple,' explains Prabhudheva. But nevertheless, every film he directs does have to have a mandatory Prabhudheva dance number.
'Arrey, I did it once in Wanted and ever since, I keep getting requests to make an appearance in dance numbers. I keep telling my producers to rope in someone else, but they insist on having me. In Ramaiyya Vastavaiya too, the same thing happened. So when they insist, I don't refuse. What to do now?' Having delivered quite a few hits in Tollywood, does he see himself coming back to make a movie here, anytime soon? 'Well, if they call me, I'll come. No, but on a serious note, I have so much on my platter right now on the Bollywood front, that I hardly have time for anything else.
But if something interesting does come up in Tollywood, I'll definitely take it up,' says the director, whose next is Rambo Rajkumar, starring Shahid. 'After doing remakes in Bollywood ' Wanted, Rowdy Rathore and Ramaiyya Vastaviya ' Rambo Rajkumar is an original script. People think that my movies are very 'massy'. By 'massy' if you mean song, dance, action, drama, romance etc, then all Hindi films have them. I would call my movies 'entertainers'. You go to a theatre to get entertained and that's what my movies do. I don't care about those fancy tags like 'niche', 'off beat', 'multiplex audience' etc. For me, it's all about entertainment,' explains Prabhu.
As a parting shot, we ask him if the change in the spelling of his name has contributed to his success in Hindi films, and he says, 'Okay, I want to clear the air once and for all. I have not changed the spelling of my name. The extra 'h' that people keep talking about, has always been there. But the media never spelt my name correctly. When people ask me how I spell my name, I tell them its 'Prabhudheva' and not 'Prabhudeva'. The whole numerology spin given to this is bogus.'