EXCLUSIVE: Anil George praises Kalki 2898 AD makers for accommodating him in the same hotel as Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan; also says “Mujhe film ka A, B, C, D, kuchh nahin pata tha; I used to get my dialogues on the set. Main dara rehta tha”

By Fenil Seta -

July 3, 2024 - 5:30 PM IST

The talented actor Anil George plays the interesting character of Bani in Kalki 2898 AD. This is the biggest film of his illustrious career, and he has received praise for it across the country and even the world. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Anil George spoke about his experience of working on Kalki 2898 AD and a lot more.

EXCLUSIVE: Anil George praises Kalki 2898 AD makers for accommodating him in the same hotel as Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan; also says “Mujhe film ka A, B, C, D, kuchh nahin pata tha; I used to get my dialogues on the set. Main dara rehta tha”

Kalki 2898 AD is your rare Pan-India film and has been widely consumed by audiences of multiple languages. It must have been a high for you…
The film was originally made in Telugu and was dubbed in Hindi. And the experience was very good. In the Telugu version, the impact of my performance is 50 times more. That’s because the Telugu dialogues are original. And when it's dubbed in Hindi, the meaning is slightly tweaked. Nevertheless, even the Hindi version has come out well, but the Telugu version is something else.

Did you dub for the Telugu version?
Yes. Aur mujhe dub karne mein bahut maza aaya. When I saw the Telugu version, I couldn’t believe that I had uttered those dialogues! I learnt a bit of the language and I was also helped by a coach on the set. I request all my fans that they should also check out the Telugu version.

How did you bag the role?
There was a gentleman by the name of Rahul. I think he was the EP on this film. He had approached me a long time back and told me that the makers wanted to cast me in a film, co-starring Amitabh Bachchan, Prabhas, Kamal Haasan and Deepika Padukone. I assumed that he was playing a prank! I saved his number and decided that if he calls me again, I’ll blast him (laughs).

Many weeks later, I had gone to Budapest to shoot for a South film, and I was returning home. I was having a layover in Germany when Mr Rahul called me again. I had saved his number as ‘Rahul Amitabh Bachchan’ or something to that effect. I decided ‘Iski ab main class lunga’! This time, he started the conversation in a different way and said that they were about to start work on the film. I asked, ‘Wohi Amitabh Bachchan waali film?’! He replied in the affirmative.

Then, many days later, some other unit member called and asked for my photograph. I replied, ‘Google my name and you’ll get the picture’! He insisted that he wanted a recent picture of mine. I told him, ‘You search for my name on Google. The look you’ll see in the pictures, that’s the same look I have right now’. He ended the call but 2 days later, he again phoned and requested a recent image. My wife suggested that I should send them a picture.

There was no update after that. Sometime later, I travelled to Hyderabad for the shoot of the film for which I had travelled to Budapest. I thought since I was in the city, I should pay a visit to the makers of Kalki 2898 AD. I called the production house and asked if I could come. They agreed. We reached there and a man was waiting at the gate to welcome us. In between, they even asked where I had reached.

We were ushered in, and I was told the director would meet me soon. Sometime later, one thin, short man came wearing a T-shirt and chappals. He asked me to sit down. I told him, ‘We want to meet the director’. He replied, ‘I am the director’! He was Nag Ashwin (laughs). The way he came, I thought he must be the seventh assistant (continues laughing).

I was amazed. They are such lovely people and have no dikhava. In our industry, there’ll be 10 people outside the director’s cabin. They’ll be like ‘Sir busy hai. Nahin mil sakte’. But Nag Ashwin was an exception. We then spoke about a lot of things. He said that he was planning to shave off my beard. I was startled and I told him, ‘Sab log mere chehre pe daadhi maangte hai. Aap daadhi nikaalne ki baat kar rahe hai’. But he insisted on a clean-shaven look. I agreed.

How was your experience of working on the film?
The makers treated me very nicely. They booked the best seats on the flights. I was provided accommodation in Park Hyatt, Hyderabad. Kamal Haasan and Amitabh Bachchan also stayed in the same hotel. They didn’t differentiate between me and these legends. A car was made available to me for 24 hours. Even the producer, C Aswani Dutt is very simple and the same goes for the other members of his family.

How did you react when you saw the sets of the film?
I had no words. I was wondering, ‘Yeh set hai ya kya hai? Yeh kisne banaya hoga aur kitne time gaya hoga banane mein’!

The scene where Kamal Haasan’s character makes an entry has jaw-dropped visuals and sets…
I had to kneel down for that scene. My knee started paining, and the crew gave me a pillow and sponge so that I'd be comfortable. A few hours later, they quickly called for a kneecap, that too of different types.

As for the VFX, we had no idea how it would look on screen. Kamal ji used to hang in the air. There was a stunt double as well who used to fill in and hang in the air. I used to feel pity for him.

What can we expect from part 2?
I don’t know but now, at least I have an idea of what is the story and where it’s heading. I could add a lot to my character in the sequel with the clarity that I have got.

Does this mean that you didn’t know about the story?
Mujhe film ka A, B, C, D, kuchh nahin pata tha! I didn’t even know my dialogues. Nagi (Nag Ashwin) likes to change the dialogues. Toh script ka koi matlab hi nahin banta tha. Hence, I used to get my dialogues on the set, that too, in Telugu (laughs). As a result, main dara rehta tha. I used to wonder, ‘Main kya karunga, kaise karunga’. Whatever I was able to do, woh upar waale ne mujhse kara diya hai. The assistants, however, used to tell me about my character. They seemed too excited about my role, and I didn’t know what to say. I was more concerned about how I’d perform and deliver the dialogues.

Also Read: Kalki 2898 AD: Amitabh Bachchan transforms into mighty Ashwatthama in new behind-the-scenes photos