Hyderabad, India – It is rare to see actor-producer Fahadh Faasil partake in media interactions. “I have been hearing this a lot,” he says with a laugh, when he walks in to meet a small group of journalists at the production house, Arka Media Works’ office in Hyderabad. His new Telugu film, Don’t Trouble The Trouble, is poised to release on October 2. “It feels as though this is my first Telugu film. So I wanted to come and introduce myself,” Fahadh says. But Fahadh is no stranger to Telugu cinema. He became a household name portraying the antagonist, Bhanwar Singh Shekawat, in the Pushpa films.
DTTT, written and directed by Shashank Yeleti and co-produced by SS Karthikeya and Shobu Yarlagadda from the Baahubali team, gets its title from a famous dialogue by actor Balakrishna. “There’s something in the story that spells trouble, hence the title,” says Fahadh. Fahadh reveals that on average, he listens to only two script narrations a year. “Karth called and said they had something interesting. The story was fresh. Back home in Malayalam cinema, the drama is subtle. In this, there are elements of magic and fantasy woven around the core idea of concern and love. I did not want to miss this opportunity.”
The film was shot across 79 locations, including crowded pockets of Cyberabad and Hyderabad’s industrial exhibition, the Numaish. “Almost all my Malayalam films have been shot on location. Pushpa is a rare film I shot on a set. I enjoy filming on location and the production took care of crowd control.” DTTT revolves around Fahadh’s character named Suri, child actor Ssara Palekar, and a beagle. A mention of magical powers and invisibility may evoke memories of Mr India. Fahadh describes it as “a kids’ film for grown-ups.”
Filmed in Telugu, DTTT will also be released in Malayalam and Tamil. Learning his Telugu lines, he admits, required effort. “I think in Malayalam, translate it into English and then perform in Telugu. So this process isn’t smooth. On screen, I wanted to come across as someone who thinks and speaks the language.” In the wake of a recent interview by actor-director Prithviraj Sukumaran, there has been considerable discussion about Malayalam cinema giving due importance to writers. Fahadh responds, “I have always believed that writers are more important than actors. I rely equally on the writer and director; both have to work in tandem.”
As a producer, he is pleased with the reception to Bethlehem Kudumba Unit. He knew intuitively that the film would be received well but was surprised by the overwhelming response. His trust in director Girish A.D. is evident when he speaks about the film and their earlier collaboration on Premalu. Fahadh equates producing a film to playing a cricket match. “We don’t know if we will win but it’s fun to play the game.” Having completed 24 years in cinema since his debut in September 2002, Fahadh reminisces about how he did not aspire to be an actor or director, despite his father Fazil being a reputed director. “My first film flopped, after which I went to the US on a scholarship to study engineering. I dropped out and pursued philosophy. I returned after six years. I wanted to do one successful film. I’ve continued for more than 60 films.”
