It’s been a while since that cameo in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (Deepika’s suitor who is shooed off by Ranbir). Where did you disappear?
I have been shooting for one film for almost two-and-a-half years. I have shot for 287 days, so that’s clearly where I was! (Laughs) This is a multi-language film called Baahubali which is directed by S.S. Rajamouli. Baahubali is a period film in two parts and is the most expensive Indian film ever made. I had hair almost as long as yours (below shoulder length), so I was stuck with that look. 

There has been so much buzz about Baahubali...
I promise you that Baahubali (co-starring Prabhas, Anushka Shetty and Tamannaah) will be the biggest Indian film anyone has ever seen. Every single day when I’d land up on set, my mind would be blown. If you see the making of the film, you’ll understand what I am talking about. We should have the promo ready by the end of the month. 

Your last full-length Hindi film was Department three years ago. Your last release in Telugu Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum was also in 2012. Did not having a release in any language make you anxious?
Well…(pauses) it did before I signed Baahubali. I knew that film would take up two-three years of my life. My co-star in Baahubali, Prabhas, also hasn’t had a release in two years. But only once in your life will you make a film of this scale. This is a period war tale that is epic in every which way imaginable. So, if you look at it, it’s just two-three years for a film that could change your life. There were Hindi films that came my way during these two years, including Happy New Year, but things didn’t work out the way it did for Baby. 

How did Baby happen then?
The reason I got to do Baby was because Prabhas got injured! (Laughs) While making Baahubali, both of us have been in and out of hospitals constantly. So right now I have a knee-and-a-half that works, one MCL (one of the major ligaments of the knee) is gone. My wrist is broken. 

And you also burnt your fingers?
Ah! That happened while I was making seekh kebabs at home!

You are clearly accident prone!
(Laughs) I guess so. I had a shoulder injury while Prabhas has a knee injury. Getting injured means that you have to recover and then train and only then can you start shooting again. So, I had three-four months but I was stuck with the long hair and beard. When my agents in Mumbai called me and told me about Baby, I flew in to meet Neeraj Pandey. I had never met him, but he is a really cool guy. My biggest concern was how he was going to shoot such an elaborate film spread over so many countries in the short amount of time he had. Anyway, my Baahubali director Rajamouli was okay with me taking 20-30 days extra for Baby. And that’s how Baby happened!

What about your look for Baahubali?
Ah! Fortunately I was done with all the scenes that required my hair to be long and Neeraj was okay with the beard. So, everything worked out. 

With just three films, Neeraj has become one of the most sought-after directors in Bollywood. Was working with him everything you had thought it would be?
What I was amazed about Neeraj was the speed at which he shoots. He is unbelievably fast. For Baahubali, I was used to doing one shot a day. If we managed two shots, we’d feel like we had accomplished something big (laughs). On my first day on the sets of Baby, Neeraj canned three scenes. I couldn’t get over it. He shot a whole solo fight in Delhi in one day!
 
Neeraj has worked with both Akshay Kumar and Anupam Kher before. What was it like to walk into a set-up where everyone already knew each other?
I make friends pretty easily. Akshay sir is such a big star. The first schedule that I shot with him was in Abu Dhabi. We were shooting some major action in the middle of the desert. There was only Akshay sir, Anupam sir and me. It was nice to spend so much time with both of them. There is a lot that I learnt from Akshay sir — whether it is how he manages his life, his diet and fitness. He sleeps at 9.30pm and wakes up at 4am! You don’t hear of people keeping such schedules anymore. I like shooting in the morning. Most of my call time is 7am but when I do Hindi films, call time is never before 10am. So, it was such a pleasure to shoot with Akshay sir because we’d start the day early. 

Most actors from the south prefer establishing themselves there before coming to Bollywood. You debuted in Bollywood almost immediately after your Telugu debut in Leader.... 
To begin with, there is no rule. Rohan (Sippy) offered me Dum Maaro Dum after I did Leader. After Dum Maaro Dum, I went back to do a few Telugu films. With the last few films, I have established myself in Telugu. 

Is it tough to juggle Bolly and the Telugu and Tamil industries?
I tell you what is tough…when you make a Telugu or Bollywood film, you are not in the other industries for a period of time. You might be working as an actor, but people think that you have disappeared. It’s like out of sight, out of mind. This is my only struggle. 

What is the biggest plus of working in so many different languages?
Oh... the sheer variety of subjects. 
In each industry, they make a certain kind of films. And the genres are so different in each industry. It gives an actor so much opportunity to grow and hone his craft. From my generation of actors, I have been fortunate enough to work with Mr (Amitabh) Bachchan (in Department) and Akshay sir because I work in both industries. I am not picked in films because the film needs a south Indian actor…I am cast because they need a big tough guy! (Laughs) 

In Bollywood you are yet to do a film as a solo lead…
Ya, in Telugu also it took me two years to get that one big blockbuster as a solo lead. I am not losing sleep over this. I like moving between industries. It’s been five years since I started as an actor and I have done seven films in three languages. I know that I have been accepted in all three industries, so I am not stressed about not having a solo film. 

After Baby, you have signed a few more Hindi films...
Yes. There is Baahubali which will also release in Hindi. After that, there is Vikram Phadnis’s film Nia with Bipasha Basu. There are a few more, but I am waiting for the makers to announce them. 

Do you still live at the Taj Lands End in Bandra when in Mumbai?
No, ya… living out of a suitcase got to me after a while. I stayed at Land’s End for eight months. However nice that hotel suite was, it was still a hotel suite! (Laughs) I now have an apartment in Juhu. The next thing I need to figure out is a car and a driver. It’s a pretty little place…three bedrooms with a little garden.

You are calling a three-bedroom house with a garden a “little place”? That’s palatial by Mumbai standards! 
(Laughs) What to do?! I am a Hyderabad guy, no? At least I have some place to call home in Mumbai. But I have to admit, I miss housekeeping and room service. This is the first time I am living on my own. So, I am learning to take care of the house and keeping it stocked with groceries. It’s tough, man! I came into Mumbai last night and obviously, there was nothing in the fridge. So, the first thing I had to do was hop across to Nature’s Basket and buy groceries. So, next on my to-do list is to find a housekeeper. 

Karishma Upadhyay