And that is what made Prabhu Deva what he is — the Indian incarnation of MJ. Prabhu Deva was 13-something when the Jacko mania bit him. He confesses that he would watch MJ videos several times over until every tune and move of Jacko seeped into his unconscious mind. Then began the most difficult part of recreating the trademark moves, jigs and shrugs.
When Prabhu Deva decided to try his talent on the silver screen he struck gold. His Gentleman performance soon led to Kadhalan where his portrayal of a dancer-hero got him several such roles.
An actor and director in his own right, Prabhu Deva is unfazed by numerous articles bring written about him and actress Nayanthara entering wedlock. Get him to talk about the same subject and you can be sure of get nothing from him. All he has to say is, “Everybody falls in love and I have found my mate. The wedding will happen soon,” he says and adds, “I will announce the wedding date to the media when it is finalised until then they will get nothing from me,” he adds.
The young director has been doing exceedingly well. After debuting in Telugu with Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana as a director, Prabhu Deva has not looked back. And now Prabhu’s next offering Vedi, which has Vishal and Sameera Reddy in the lead, is an outright commercial venture. “It’s an entertainer, similar to the Pokkirri genre of films. It’s a character-based film where there’s a hero, who attempts to fight a corrupt system,” informs Prabhu.
Prabhu’s Tamil directorial Engeyum Kadalum also did exceptionally well where he appeared in the opening scene and disappeared after a brief narration. “That was a simple story narrated in a different style,” he says. The story was about a young man who’s a casanova but he finally finds his true love. Asked if youngsters today are like the young man in the movie who is careless about everything, including relationships, Prabhu says, “This generation is smart, intelligent and responsible.”
Prabhu recently acted in Santosh Shivan’s big budget movie, Urmi. “I loved every moment of working in the film. I blindly followed Santosh’s instructions. After so many years in the industry, acting and directing aren’t very different for me,” he avers. He says that he’d play just about any role and but horror films are something he’s crazy about and
confesses to spending hours watching films of that genre on television and videos. He would also like to try his hand at making one. “It’s scary and thrilling at the same time. There must be some excitement in whatever you watch,” he confesses. Prabhu Deva is a Kannadiga, born and brought up in Chennai.
His father, Muguru Sundar, is a dance director of repute, who worked in scores of Kannada films before settling down in Tamil filmdom. But he recalls spending his childhood in a small village in Mysore, “There’s a lot of development in Bangalore but Mysore still remains clean and green,” he sums.