In a recent interview, Prithviraj Sukumaran opened up about the unique challenges he faced in embodying Kumbha, the wheelchair-bound villain in SS Rajamouli’s latest cinematic venture, ‘Varanasi’. He highlighted how the task of expressing a wide range of emotions through just his facial expressions posed a formidable challenge. Read on to know more.

SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus, ‘Varanasi’, has been the talk of the town since the announcement. And Prithviraj Sukumar is set to play the role of Kumbha, the main antagonist. He will be seen as a wheelchair-bound character in the movie. In a recent interview, the actor talked about the challenges he faced to play the role. Let’s take a look at it.

Prithviraj Sukumaran opens up about challenges he faced to play Kumbha

In an interview with Collider, Prithviraj Sukumaran shared that playing a character who cannot move was the biggest challenge. He said that as an actor who has worked on multiple movies in the industry, one functions almost subconsciously. He said that an actor is “always aware that your body is available as a communication tool. Then you are put in a situation where nothing from the neck down is visible, and you realize that whatever you do physically will not be seen.“

Prithviraj added that all his acts were supposed to be on his face. He said, “Everything you have at your disposal is concentrated on your face. What you need to convey must come through your face and eyes.”From his further statements, it was clear that he will be seen playing a layered character in the movie. The actor added, “None of Kumbha’s emotions is one-dimensional. Everything he does and says carries a great deal of weight from his past, with layers of subtext beneath every line.”

Prithviraj Sukumaran calls Kumbha his most complex character

He added that the “complexity” made the character even more compelling for him. The Malayalam cinema actor shared this factor excited him as an actor. He went on to share that he is really looking forward to watching Kumbha on the big screen as a character. Prithviraj expressed that it is one of the most complex roles he has played. He concluded, saying, “Definitely one of the most complex characters Rajamouli sir has conceived.”

More about ‘Varanasi’

Directed by SS Rajamouli, the film stars Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra, and Prithviraj Sukumaran. As per the reports, the film will showcase time travel in it. The movie is set to hit theaters on April 7, 2027.