Mahesh Babu Exclusive Chitchat

Mahesh Babu is back from shooting Dhookudu in Istanbul in Turkey. Although the much-publicized Khaleja flopped, the super star is not in mood to bogged down by it. As promised to his fans before the Khaleja's release, he participated in stunts sequences conducted by Thumps up and met his fans at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad. He spoke to the media.

You are doing risky stunts like Akshay Kumar does in Bollywood.
May be Akshay Kumar is the only action hero in Hindi cinema currently but every star in Telugu Cinema is by and large is an action hero. We thrive on action-oriented films, so I always do stunts that appeal to my audiences. So don't compare me with Akshay Kumar.

A lot was riding on Khaleja but the film disappointed your fans too. What do you see the reason for its dismal result. 

I believe the gap that I had taken prior to Khaleja is the main reason for its failure. Expectations rose to peak as my film is hitting the screens nearly after three years. First thing, such a long gap is not right for any star to take. I did the wrong thing and it affected the film.

Tell us about the status of your current film, Dhookudu.

We have finished the first schedule of the movie in Istanbul. It is an entertaining movie and Srinu Vytla is packaging it with more action and entertainment. I am sureDhookudu will not disappoint anyone.

You constantly aim for new looks. What is the get up in Dhookudu?
Let it be secret for a few more days. My firm belief is that unless you don't change your looks with each film, people would get boredom. So I have been trying different fashion clothes, hairstyle in each film from Pokiri. You will know my Dhookudustyle very soon.

There is criticism that you speak to the media only when you have to promote a brand. 

(laughs) No, that is not true. Primarily I am movie star and I always interact with the media for my movies too. Since I took long gap for Khaleja, I didn't have chance to interact with you guys and had to come for brand promotions. Anyhow, I am not complaining either. Brands are example of how popular a star is these days. So I am happy that all the big corporate companies are behind me.

Will you be doing more movies now?
Yes, you will see me in two films in 2011. That is for sure. No change in it. I have taken firm decision to do more films.

What about the remake of '3 Idiots'?
Yes, director Shankar sir approached me for the remake of ' 3 Idiots' but my dates are clashing with Dhookudu. So we are now trying to work on it. I will only talk about it after a couple of days.