Sukumar with Puri Jagannadh during a special interview for Liger.Little did we know that director Sukumar of Pushpa: The Rise fame was a big fan of director Puri Jagannadh. Sukumar’s admiration for his senior was on full display during his special interview with the creator of Liger. Sukumar reminded Puri that he had once sought an opportunity to join his team of assistant directors during the conversation. “When I came to meet you for the first time, you asked me to tell you if I had any good story. I don’t know why you asked me that. That is how we met,” Sukumar said.
Sukumar credited Puri for changing the grammar of mass commercial movies with his films like Badri and Idiot. And the Pushpa director noted Puri was his inspiration when it comes to making movies in a short period. However, Puri revealed that with Liger, he was changing the way he made films. “From now like you (Sukumar), I am going to take time and work on the details of my script,” said Puri.
Puri Jagannadh noted that owing to the pandemic he had a lot of time to work on the script of Liger. “Pokiri was a super blockbuster. I felt you took some time to write that movie, unlike your other films. I had then told you that you do better films when you take time. And I am saying it now, that Liger is going to be a blockbuster. Because you took time to make it,” Sukumar said.
Puri also revealed that it was during the making of Iddarammayilatho (2013) with Allu Arjun, that he got the idea for Liger. “I think 10 years ago, Bunny (Allu Arjun) had told me about a Hollywood director, whose heroes always had some sort of disability. And he asked me why don’t you write a character like that? I suggested a hero who stammers and he liked it. So that’s how it started. This idea came to me because of Bunny,” the Liger director revealed.
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Vijay Deverakonda’s character in Liger stammers. “Vijay is a genuine actor. In the last decade, I haven’t seen anybody who can act so genuinely onscreen. He’s also genuine in real life. There is no fakeness in him. I had a new feeling watching him perform. You are going to work with Vijay in future. You will understand what I’m saying,” Puri Jagannadh told Sukumar.
Liger, which also stars Ananya Panday, is due in cinemas this Thursday.