PremiumPrashanth Neel finally opens up on why KGF and Salaar look similar - 'I have an OCD'
The writer-director of 'Salaar: Part 1 - Ceasefire' gets candid about the visual aesthetics of his work and the "KGF looks like Salaar" complaint swirling around
Prashanth Neel
Last Updated: 10.13 PM, Dec 18, 2023
Prashanth Neel likes to do what one might call "operate in the shadows" because the filmmaker, evidently, wishes for his work to do all the talking. His upcoming film 'Salaar: Part 1 - Ceasefire' has been subjected to a lot of speculation, fan theories and even scepticism right from the time it took off, but one gathers that Neel remained deterred and focused on what he wanted to deliver. But now that the film is set to be released in theatres worldwide, he has made time to reflect on everything that has transpired so far.
One of the key topics of discussion over the course has been that 'Salaar' bears a stark resemblance with Prashanth Neel's own 'K.G.F' films. The similarities in the visual aesthetics, in particular, have been pulled up time and again by keen-eyed moviegoers who have felt that the dark, grim and "soot-covered" fictional world appears to be a common factor in both films.
On top of that, the use of Ravi Basrur's blaring soundtrack has caused the audiences' apprehensions among to be amplified a little, making several of them wonder if there was more to him as a filmmaker.
But Prashanth Neel seems to have a valid explanation for this. "The reason why KGF and Salaar look like that is that I have an OCD," he says in a very recent interaction with Baradwaj Rangan. OCD, of course, is short for Obsessive-compulsive Disorder, which sometimes is loosely used to describe one's fixations. Neel confesses that his fixation has got to do with not liking anything with "too many colours".
"I don't like to wear clothes with too much colour in them. (So) I think it's just a reflection of my personality on the screen. Bhuvan (Gowda) likes to shoot like that (with the grey colour palette) but he does not necessarily agree with it. And I have started to realize that it's probably a very good thing (shooting his films in a certain way) or a very bad thing," he adds in the same conversation.
Interestingly, the writer-director is extremely candid in admitting that the whole "He can only make a KGF" remark isn't just a social media pastime but also something that people around him have also brought to his notice. He adds that he saw his personality or inclinations seeping into the film on the screen, but there was still enough conviction in him to still proceed because he felt 'Salaar' required to be made that way.
"The way we shot the film, we wanted it to be gritty. Though it was starting to replicate a little bit of what I did in 'KGF', I still stuck with it (the style) because it was going with the drama of the movie. I did not want to change that because of the opinions. (The dark visual tone) goes with the mood of the story," explains Prashanth Neel.
Well, the doubts among fans certainly seem to have diminished because the recently released trailer has set social media abuzz. Many have shared extreme joy at seeing Prabhas in top form in the new video glimpse and needless to say, the actor's fans are more confident than ever that 'Salaar: Part 1 - Ceasefire' has all the makings of a big box office success. More than anything else, the film promises to bring back the "mass hero" in him back on the big screen. Plus, there's also the incredible action/violence we get to see! 'Salaar: Part 1 - Ceasefire' is in theatres on December 22.