Ashwin Babu on Hidimbha: I had to look convincing while smacking four men at once

The actor is hopeful that Hidimbha will give a good push to his career and says it has a distinct flavour in comparison to his previous films

Ashwin Babu

After a series of comedies in the Raju Gari Gadhi franchise and dramas, Ashwin Babu is trying his hand at an action thriller with this week’s release Hidimbha. Gangapatnam Sridhar is bankrolling the film directed by Aneel Kanneganti. The premiere shows hosted on Tuesday received good responses from crowds. With optimism about his makeover and the film, Ashwin spoke to the media today.

“Rakshasudu felt like an apt title for the story when I first heard it but many films in the recent times used it and we settled for Hidimbha, which also translates to demon. There’s a historical backdrop to the story and I accepted it with a hope that it would be an edge of the seat experience for audiences. I am thrilled with the feedback from the premieres,” he said.

Aneel Kanneganti narrated the story over a phone call and he had no second thoughts about it. “However, my producer and I had finalised a sports drama by then and we were facing a few practical issues with the shoot locations and permissions. So, we put that project on the back-burner and went ahead with Hidimbha.” Ashwin had high words of praise for the producer.

“Gangapatnam Sridhar always gave importance to my opinion and trusted me with decisions. I saw this a responsibility. Having faced several setbacks in the past, I was committed to scoring a hit this time. My brother Ohmkar has always pushed me to try something new and I kept his words in mind while doing Hidimbha. I didn’t say yes to another script until the shoot finished,” he stated.

Ashwin consciously chose Hidimbha because it had a distinct flavour in comparison to his earlier works. “You’ll notice the variation on the big screen. I had to play a guy who looked convincing while smacking four men at once. We’ll transport audiences into a new world. The beauty of the screenplay will come through when you watch it twice.”

The idea to release a ‘reverse trailer’ gave a good push to the film, the actor believes and he expressed happiness about audience’s feedback from the premieres about the twists, action sequences. Thanking Anil Sunkara for his support to the film, Ashwin labels the former as a passionate producer who breathes, eats and talks cinema. He will be seen in a medical mafia thriller and a sports drama next.

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