'The Loop' is the dubbed version of 'Maanadu' (Tamil). To be released in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi on November 25, the film stars Simbu in the lead. In this interview, the Kollywood hero talks about his character in the movie, its USP, his future plans, and more. The premise of the film is this: On the day of a public conference by the state's Chief Minister, his bodyguard and a police officer became stuck in a time loop.
As the title indicates, 'The Loop' is a political science fiction action thriller. A political gathering is at the core of the plot. A common person gets into trouble because of a political conspiracy. Abdul, my character, tries to solve things that he has been blamed for. Director Venkat Prabhu has been a good friend of mine. I have known him for many years. We have had a very long journey. I thought this film will be the perfect one for us to come together.
Even SJ Suryah, who has played a key role, is a good friend of mine. There is a cat-and-mouse chase in the movie. Suryah has nailed it. In 'Spyder', he had a different character, wherein he was subtle. In 'The Loop', he is overtly eccentric.
Kalyani Priyadarshan has a nice role and it's not a regular one. Since she is the daughter of a senior filmmaker, she really understood the character and the subject. She came on board with the intention of enhancing the impact.
I have had a great time collaborating with composer Yuvan Shankar Raja. We didn't have scope for songs like in regular movies in 'The Loop'. But the BGM is the most important thing and it has come out really well.
I have wanted 'Maanadu' to release in Telugu for sure. 'Manmadha' was supposed to be remade in Telugu. The actors here said no. I was confident that it will become a super hit in Telugu if dubbed from Tamil. It was then dubbed and released on a small scale initially. It became a massive hit. I am saying this because 'The Loop' has the potential to become another 'Manmadha' kinda success.
We have treated the story in a simple way even though the sci-fi element is involved. The audience don't need to understand the thing behind the concept.
SA Chandrasekhar sir (father of Thalapathy Vijay) has played the Chief Minister. His character is decent. The political plot revolves around his character.
I am very glad to see the reception for me among the Telugu audience. I recently walked into a theatre and was surprised to see how the trailer for 'The Loop' was being received by the audience. From hereafter, all my films will be dubbed into Telugu for sure.
The action episodes are going to stand out. Since it's a time-loop movie, the action sequences have been conceived in a novel way. There are chases, action, running... They are edge-of-the-seat ones. Richard Nathan's cinematography is superb. 'The Loop' was not an easy movie to shoot at all. The execution was complicated. This is an important film for editor Praveen KL. This is a pakka theatrical experience. More than the time-loop concept, the entertainment will be loved by the audience. Take the film 'Naane Ee' ('Eega'), for example. The film could be done because of Venkat Prabhu. He brought in the right talent on board. 'The Loop' is the answer to those who have been seeking something new from me.
The film is not based on a true incident. But it has resemblances to what happens in real life due to political cynicism. Our film shows how innocent lives are ruined by selfish political interests.
I lost a lot of weight (about 27 kilos) during the pandemic. I had gone through a bad phase when I put on a lot of weight.
The market for films is getting wider. 'Pushpa', for example, is going to have a release in Tamil. If I get something interesting from Tollywood, I will definitely do a straight Telugu movie.
My next film is with Gautham Menon. It will be dubbed in Telugu. I am doing a comedy film where the person from whom coronavirus got spread. It's a funny love story titled 'Corona Kumar'. I have a film with Gautham Karthik, and it has music by AR Rahman.
Many people wrote me off, but my fans have been with me. They have stood by me, supporting me in every way possible. It's their love that made me get up and come back. I stopped alcohol, I stopped consuming non-vegetarian food. I was always into eating Chicken 65. I quit it altogether.
