"Out of the nearly 100 films I have done post-Legend, only a handful of characters remain memorable. Appalasuri from Peddi is one of them. Once it hits screens, he is easily taking the #1 spot," says actor Jagapathi Babu, talking about his role in the June 4th release. In this interview, the senior actor elaborates on his character in the pan-Indian movie.
I consider myself lucky to have gotten the role of Appalasuri in Peddi. The entire credit for this look goes to director Buchi Babu Sana. National Award-winning makeup artist Rashid took special care in designing it. There are many challenges with prosthetic makeup. I used to get rashes and pimples on my skin, and I had to undergo special treatment. Every day, the makeup process took almost three hours. The very first time I wore that getup, I understood how extraordinary the character would turn out. I am very particular about looks and presentation. Throughout the film, audiences will not see Jagapathi Babu. They will only see Appalasuri.
Among all the roles I have played so far, none has had this kind of emotion, look, and depth. It is not a father’s role. It is a character filled with affection and emotional bonding. The length of a role is not what matters. What matters is the impact it creates while it is on screen. After Legend, I acted in many films, but only about six are truly memorable. In that list, Appalasuri will hold the number one position. Emotionally, performance-wise, and in terms of appearance, this is one of the roles I have loved the most. The character will remain in the audience’s memories.
Honestly, dubbing for this film was a challenge, but I enjoyed every single moment of it. There is magic in that character and in that dialect too. When you get a role like that, you naturally try to give your very best. The dubbing in this film will be very special. There were days when I sat the entire day and delivered only two dialogues. If Appalasuri has to come alive, he has to emerge through his voice as well. My effort was that when the character speaks, nobody else should be visible. Until now, the film for which I struggled the most with dubbing was Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava. For Appalasuri, I had to work even harder. I invested a lot of time and effort into it. All the films I have done so far are one level, but Peddi is on another level altogether.
Doing this character in a Ram Charan film gave me even more happiness. There is a beautiful emotional connection between my character and Charan's character. There is warmth even in the way Charan greets people. He is a genuinely good human being. Everyone in our family likes Charan very much. I was amazed seeing how hard he worked for this film. He got injured, bled, and still performed everything himself without using a body double anywhere. Since Rangasthalam, he has continued to grow constantly as an actor. With every film, he looks even better, and he is getting wonderful roles.
Honestly, producer Satish Kilaru is very fortunate. Charan remembered a promise he had made long ago and did this film for him. That itself became half the film’s success. The producer worked on this project with a lot of love and dedication. Working with cinematographer R. Rathnavelu is always a joyful experience. He takes care of everything artistically and technically with great attention. His presence on set brings very positive energy. Every song AR Rahman gave turned out to be a bigger hit than the previous one. Right there, half the film’s success is already achieved.
Today, Peddi feels like a major support pillar for the industry. It feels like it is finally time to breathe freely again. As an actor, I felt relieved and happy that I got such a good character. I did this film with a lot of love, and all the effort felt worthwhile. As for my other projects, I am currently working on a massive web series called Black and White for Sony LIV. It is being made on a very large budget.
