Dir’s take on actor

[Hema]

The way an actor is seen isn't really all about his own talent. Even if someone lacks strong screen presence, a good director can lift him up big time. Take Prabhas – in most of his films he's pretty average, but under Rajamouli's direction in Baahubali 1 & 2 he turned into a nationwide sensation.

[Bhavana]

Exactly, a director's vision matters a lot. Actors should just be ready to do whatever the director asks – except the nonsense, of course.

[Chiranjit]

It's more of a team effort, about 70% director and 30% cast. I saw the BTS of Baahubali where SSR actually showed the actors how to nail a particular scene and pushed each of them to the limit. It reminded me of the intense mentor‑student vibe between Terrence Fletcher and Andrew Nieman in Whiplash.

[Shalini]

After Baahubali, Prabhas is done. He'll never look that massive again. If you watch his post‑Baahubali movies, you'll notice he's struggling with stunts and dance – it feels like a double‑take. Rajamouli squeezed every ounce out of him.