I first met prithvi more than a decade back.I was writing screenplay for american dreams and we had gone to stamp visas at chennai.Indrajith(who was doing his engineering then) was with us.After the apointment with the counsellete he took me to a s/w company his uncle was owning.He checked his mails there and showed me a mail form his younger brother who was doing his studies in australia then.I still remember how proud indran was about his brother that he was faring well in studies there.
I met prithvi in person first at a flat in Trivandrum.He came with his uncle after watchign thenkasippattanam.We were having a discussion on American Dreams again.We had a very long talk that night.One thing I felt was that he was so much into indian movies for a student in Australia.I remember he even told me the cast and crew of the Govinda movie that was being shot then.While returning back from that flat the person who was with me told me this boy is gonna make it big in malayalam movies.Since I was not a person who thinks that far nor good at predicting dint feel anything special about it.
We have met umpteen times since.I have seen his growth and his declines through the years.One thing always set him apart from others.His focus on cinema!
This can again raise questions in your minds as hes currently going through the grind on his attitude,statements etc etc..But when I say focus on cinema,I mean complete focus.That guy virtually lives,eats and sleeps cinema.Few things can distract him from it.Dont know if thats good or bad since you miss out on many other stuff in life.But I found a connect with him since I met him mostly on cinema.
We became quite close while shooting Arjunan Saakshi.Still 99% we talked only cinema!Strangely I realised one thing.Here is a man who cant live without cinema!People who has seen him through media may have a totally different perception of this guy,but he was so simple and basic as one can get.
When we met last I felt both of us have changed!Going through real successes and failures in life makes one more mature maybe.Still we talked only cinema for hours..Whats life without dreams afterall?:)
Donno why I am writing about him now.Juz read some new totally unwanted story on him and somehow felt like it.
That guy is a fighter guys.Its not easy at all to stand out there alone and face a hostile world.Easier option would be to hide in a crowd or come out with another face.
But he cant.Coz thats what he is!
Felt happy watching this speech of Ranjith on Indian Rupee.
Wish the movie all the very best.
Ranjith Sankar’s Blog 
Thanks Ranjith for sharing your thoughts.
We have seen what could happen to an actor’s movies when audiences start talking against him. In Prithvi’s case, I feel, may be people have mistaken his character’s attitude as his own. Think of his recent movies like Anwar, City of God, Thriller, Manushya Mrugam and Urumi. All these movies demanded a ‘plain face with an attitude’ from Prithvi. Even a very well performed flashback in Anwar had to take backseat to his daring face. The same period came his thoughts about Big Ms, his marriage, Supriya’s comments on South Indian actors and many more incidents with negative vibes. Manikyakallu was the only exception. A dare attempt in portraying a ‘hero with a scared face’ in AS was also not taken well by theater crowd.
I’m sure that than anyone else Prithvi has sensed the hostile world around. He had been through the same when he acted in Vinaya’s ‘Vellinakshatram’and ‘Sathyam’ during the Amma/Macta/Fefka fight. It’s his personal choice whether to find the easy way (just shut up and listen) or the thorn path (be responsive). After seeing the ‘Dr Love episode’ and his reply to Director Biju ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGTDjoNIrJM ), I felt that he has become more sensible in his talks. Now he is speaking more about the subject, avoiding sentences which could be misleading. That’s a positive sign.
Renjith’s Indian Rupee (IR) is coming at the right time. The trailer shows a common man as Prithvi’s character. In the movie his face does not carry attitude. Moreover the positive feel audience has on Renjith can very well wipe out any dislikes on Prithvi’s personal views. I strongly believe IR could be the movie which parts Prithvi’s acting span. Let’s hope for the best!
sasneham
salil drishyan
By: Salil Drishyan on September 23, 2011
at 7:17 am
[…] I first met prithvi more than a decade back.I was writing screenplay for american dreams and we had gone to stamp visas at chennai.Indrajith(who was doing his engineering then) was with us.After the apointment with the counsellete he took me to a s/w company his uncle was owning.He checked his mails there and showed me a mail form his younger brother who was doing his studies in australia then.I still remember how proud indran was about his brother that he was faring well in studies there. I met prithvi in person first at a flat in Trivandrum.He came with his uncle after watchign thenkasippattanam.We were having a discussion on American Dreams again.We had a very long talk that night.One thing I felt was that he was so much into indian movies for a student in Australia.I remember he even told me the cast and crew of the Govinda movie that was being shot then.While returning back from that flat the person who was with me told me this boy is gonna make it big in malayalam movies.Since I was not a person who thinks that far nor good at predicting dint feel anything special about it. We have met umpteen times since.I have seen his growth and his declines through the years.One thing always set him apart from others.His focus on cinema! This can again raise questions in your minds as hes currently going through the grind on his attitude,statements etc etc..But when I say focus on cinema,I mean complete focus.That guy virtually lives,eats and sleeps cinema.Few things can distract him from it.Dont know if thats good or bad since you divert from lot other stuff in life.But I found a connect with him since I met him mostly on cinema. We became quite close while shooting Arjunan Saakshi.Still 99% we talked only cinema!Strangely I realised one thing.Here is a man who cant live without cinema!People who has seen him through media may have a totally different perception of this guy,but he was so simple and basic as one can get. When we met last I felt both of us have changed!Going through real successes and failures in life makes one more mature maybe.Still we talked only cinema for hours..Whats life without dreams afterall? Donno why I am writing about him now.Juz read some new totally unwanted story on him and somehow felt like it. That guy is a fighter guys.Its not easy at all to stand out there alone and face a hostile world.Easier option would be to hide in a crowd or come out with another face. But he cant.Coz thats what he is! Felt happy watching this speech of Ranjith on Indian Rupee. Prithviraj Ranjith Sankar’s Blog […]
By: Anonymous on September 23, 2011
at 9:49 am
While reading the above note form Ranjith, I thought I should write about my interaction with Prithvi. I am in early forties and in Bangalore for the last 10 years. I don’t have any background in the film field other than watching movies. Once I called Prithvi to congratulate his State award and it was a very brief conversation in one evening. I started liking Prithvi after watching STOP VIOLENCE. Later after watching the movie KAKKI, I was very disappointed and called him during my lunch break in office. He did not pick up the call. But to my surprise, after 15 minutes he called back. I asked him why he had to act in such movies, which will do no good for his career. I also told him that after movies like VASTHAVAM , Vargam etc, people have high expectation from him. He responded that he was not such an important / popular actor in the industry and movies are made in the interest of the producer who spends 2- 3 crores. During my conversation for almost 15 minutes, I never felt that he has the so called ‘Jada’ or any attitude. I think the problem is that whether in film industry or in Software industry( which I can personally vouch for, because I am a part of it), people who have an opinion and express the same, are cornered. He is also experiencing the same now. Also, we malayalees are comfortable with mediocre people,who move with the crowd, and have the habit of ridiculing intelligent people who stand out.
By: Anonymous on September 23, 2011
at 1:59 pm
We have been watching many videos making fun at Prithviraj and lot of unnecessary controversies are arising out of his interviews. If we see closely many of the controversies about his comments are just intentionally created and the interviewers are unknowingly becoming a part of it. Recently John Britas interfered while Mrs. Supriya was talking about South Indian Actors who can speak English. She was saying she intended this “She received a list of actors in which Prithviraj’s name was there..” Suddnely Mr.Britas interfered and said…”you got Prithvirajs name as English Speaking South Indian Actor..”..this was divulged to make controversy as Prithviraj is the only actor who knows English in South India. This is just one example of what I said..above. Moreover we should understand that what ever comments made by Prithviraj is not made as a statement by him. He always replied to the questions which he was supposed to answer. Even am a fan of Mohanlal and Mammotty. I share Prithviraj’s views…they should act to their age now..recenly Mohanlal did that in Pranayam..same way lot many stories can come if they decides to change their selection of movies. At this time I want to say one more thing. I agree that Prithviraj is an actor who is capable of commanding Malayalam film industry for a long period of time..so he has to satisfy all his fans..then him..etc..etc. But his recent movie
Teja Bhai and Family..eventhough intended for just fun without any logic was below..average…however movie was collecting good..this is a trend in Kerala now..many below average movies are collecting more than they deserve..Prithviraj also becoming a part of that group who go for movies without any kind of quality in it…hope he will realise that one day..because he is young..have another 30-35 years of career..hopefully an excellent one..doing justice to his talent…wish him all the best….and praying for keeping his eyes wide open to understand which is good for him..
By: Sibi on September 23, 2011
at 2:03 pm
Hi Ranjith,
After reading your current blog entry, I wanted to share my thoughts about the subject with you.
After listening to several of Prithviraj’s interviews lately, I too agree with you that he is an intelligent and articulate person in the Malayalam film industry. We need more of him in our Indian film industry. He has some strong personal postions about life and the film industry. Much of which I too agree with. However, not everybody might agree with his opinions and postions about various matters. I understand that he is an Ayn Rand fan (so am I) and probably embraces much of her philosophy. And so I can relate to many of his positions about vaious matters. But, more often than never through the many interviews of his that I have listened to so far, I kept asking myself why is he talking about all these matters in a public forum. He needs to keep his personal positions away from his business. No, that does not mean that he should keep hiding himself. His business as an actor, or even his production house for that matter, is not himself; but he is his business. In other words, he as an actor should only be a subset of the person he is and not vice-versa. And so he needs to use a lot more prudence, diplomacy and restraint in revealing his personal life, opinions and beliefs in any public forum as an actor.
He probabaly needs a professional PR (public relations) person guiding him through some damage control, some coaching on how to avoid pitfalls, and recreating his image as an actor. He needs to understand that he as an actor is a brand. We all need to accept the reality that the film industry is a business and everything we do in it should be approached like in any other business. As is the case with all actors, his brand has a performance story and also an emotional story that speaks to the consumers of his films. He as a brand becomes more and more important as it is a means to get traction with his consumer (his audience). He will need to understand that branding is the art of making his brand very strong and meaningful with his audience. The scope of his brand includes his image in the films, his public appearances and his endorsements. He has to carefully pick which mix of the various paths he takes to support and build his brand. In today’s world of media and internet (Web 2.0), he as a strong brander needs to strive to keep his share of voice up, to build more connections with his consumers. We have an enormous clutter with several new brands (with new actors) coming into the industry in several categories and establishing new connections with the consumers. The older brands will have to fight for relevancy and staying strong with the consumers, while re-inventing themselves.
Branding, if done right, the consumers of his films will know what value to expect when going for a Prithviraj film. And so, branding has to be diligently thought through in every aspect of the business value chain. And his brand as an actor may be very different from the person he is, and I don’t think his audience will have a problem with that at all. Rather, for an educated consumer that will be a reason for more respect for his integrity.
I hope this would be of help.
Best regards,
Sajeev
By: Sajeev on September 24, 2011
at 6:17 am
Hi Ranjith,
The first thought I had after reading this article about Prithvi is its written by someone has been close to him or someone who want his favour in future in some way or the other trying to shield him from the recent controversies. As a common man or as a common malayalam movie watcher, this article of your’s is completely biased towards Prithviraj.
As an active Malayalam movie watcher/fan for the last 3 decades (plus the old movies which comes in TV) I have high respects for our current Superstars Lalettan and Mammooka. We don’t have any personal interactions with them, we know them only through the movies which they have acted. I can say this without any doubt in my mind that the movies which I have watched acted by Mammooka and lalettan during their initial 10-15 years had many classics in Indian cinema. They had earned the right to act in some recent classless movies with the strong platform in their initial movies.
Who is Pritviraj as an actor to suggest Mammooka and Lalettan to act only as aged characters. What has he given to Malayalam movie Industry? Apart from being a handsome and a decent actor (Thanks to Sukumaran sir), what is his contribution to the industry? I rate Sukumaran a better actor than his sons, still he was never been a superstar for long time during his career in Malayalam industry.
Let our prides act in whichever movies they want. If the competition is tough and their choice of movies are wrong, we audience will decide their fate, not a fake superstar like Pritiviraj.
I too want fresh blood in our movies like Prithvi, but after watching his recent movies like Thanthonni, Tejabhai etc. he is gonna be worse than our current superstars in choosing roles. The new actors including Pritvi are blindly following holliwood movies and finding faults in our seasoned actors. They just need to realize thatn they are not even considered as a decent actors in our own industry, hence they have no right to critizise or advice our seasoned actors.
Hope you will publish this comment.
Best Regards,
Sree
By: Sree on September 28, 2011
at 10:15 pm
This is in response to the comments of Sree. Before giving my views here I wanted to make it clear that this is not an attempt to favour anybody or to start a debate on the matter. And one more thing…I really dont like the word “STAR” whether it is super..or duper or mega or giga… used for addressing human beings.
As Sree rightly pointed out Mohanlal and Mammotty..they got opportunities to work with great movie makers and became part of some classics durnig their initial years in film industry. But at the same time I want to disagree with him on his point that Our “Super Stars” have earned their rights to act in some recent classless movies with the strong platform in their initial movies.” That is a baseless statement and it is just like somebody says that he/she has earned the right to do criminal activities now because he/she lead a peaceful and productive life for 20 or 25 years. Thats a blunder. Then we have to understand that Prithviraj never suggested or called a press conference to give a statement that Mammotty and Mohanlal should be choosy from now onwards and they should stop acting as romantic heros in their 20s and 30s..
An interviewer asked him about his views about the acting of Mammotty and Mohanlal..and he just replied to that question. He has every right to give his opinion when he was asked about it..his job as an actor should not be a hindrance to it..I am sure that his opinion in this subject will be same had he been a common man also. Am supporting his views because am also sharing the same. If I say this in a public meeting nobody bothers about this. Just because Prithiraj.now .a popular actor…said this it became a controversy. Those who are blindly blaming are requested to just see all the interviews (controversial) of Prithviraj properly and judge him.
I agree with Sree..when he suggested let Mammotty and Mohanlal act in their choice of movies. Thats true…we need not say that..they will act only in their choices of movies. But we the audience of these actors and their movies are having the right to give our opinion about their movies and roles that they should have selected. And one more important thing…being an Actor wont deny anybody his/her right to be an audient. Prithiviraj gave his opinion as an audient of Mammotty and Mohanlal and the same right is their for Mammotty and Mohanlal..they also can say after watching Prithvirajs movies..like..TejaBhai….you shouldnot have done that movie…while saying that they are also a part of we the audience of Malayalam cinema….
So my feeling is that Prithviraj never criticized or advised our “Super Stars”. He as a Prekshakan..just gave his opinion when he was particularly asked about it.
See the actors like Mammotty, Mohanlal, Thilakan need not do nothing more to prove their talents. They are talented, hardworking and above all…the luckiest of the few to reach this level of their careers.
As a Prekshakan of their movies..I only have one request to all our “Super Stars”..just be choosy in your roles..if you feel that you have earned a good moeny for your next 3 generations. Now act just to Satisfy yourself. Sure that will satisfy we the audience also.
I admire Prithviraj for his clear answers to the questions and clear understandings of many issues. Only thing he is a failure or acting as if he has failed… in understanding that majority of the question asked to him are just meant for increasing the rating of the interview and good name for the interviewer.
By: Sibi on September 29, 2011
at 4:52 pm
niceee to hear
By: ♥ PRITHVIRAJ Blog ♥ (@PrithvirajWEB) on September 30, 2011
at 5:05 pm
Nice post. I’m a Prithviraj fan and, for a long time, I couldn’t understand why on earth the media and the public were giving him such a hard time. He’s smart. He’s passionate about what he does. And he is an outspoken and honest person. For a while I thought perhaps it was just that most of us Malayalees cannot handle that kind of in-your-face openness and strong individuality. But I think something else is amiss. Or rather a few things.
First – Prithvi constantly acts as though he believes the public are owed an explanation for all of his actions. And in explaining himself so much to the public, he has given everybody abundant ammunition to crucify him and twist his words. Why on Earth did he even agree to give a interview with him AND his wife? Why did he take the risk of exposing her as well to the public and let the media and public scrutinize her! Why publicize his private life? Doing that makes it seem as though he is vying for the public’s approval for his actions. But his words say that he doesn’t care about what anyone thinks! He says that his private life is really nobody else’s business – AND HE IS RIGHT! But he is the one who is feeding the vultures!
Second – he keeps talking about the failing standards of Malayalam Cinema, but he seems to make huge exceptions in his own case. He has acted in so many movies that are unbelievably bad and will be relegated to the graveyard of Malayalam cinema – Tejabhai, Pokiri Raja, Thanthonni, Thriller – to name just a few. Where is the point in preaching about high standards when you don’t practice the same! Nobody likes people who do that.
The way Prithvi is going about his career now is as though he is competing in a marathon. As though he has some strange target about a certain number of movies he must have under his belt before the age of 30 or something. He is such a talented and hard-working actor. I wish he would just apply the brakes and start to behave with more wisdom in his work.
He’s still my favourite actor but who knows for how long. Not much longer if I have to watch anymore Tejabhais and hear about what a light-hearted ace comedy film it is in 100s of interviews, when in truth it is just a dull-witted stupid movie.
Wake up Prithvi. There are enough people rooting for you. Stop with the defensiveness and the blindness when it comes to your own actions. Do not fall prey to the same mistakes that you predecessors have made. Stop engaging with the press as though they are your family. Recognize that you have the talent and power to do things your way. And for heavens sake, DO IT!
We want to see you succeed. We really do.
By: Pretti Putri on September 30, 2011
at 9:14 pm
i think th point on prithviraj is that he is not an actor infront of us or medias..while some others give their views vth a well acting to make them a god infront of commons..i luv prithviraj totally..
By: Arjun_student on October 1, 2011
at 4:31 am
This is in response to Sibi’s comment above.
I agree with most of your points. I just would like to emphasise the fact that I am a common malayalam movie lover who supports good/standard movies, and a well wisher to all of our young actors especially Prithvi and Asif Ali. One among millions who doesnt have any knowledge of film making, but love watching good films. Prithvi has the looks and talent to replace Lalettan/Mammookka in future and people like me have high expectations on him.
The reason, why I mentioned Lalettan and Mammokka earned their right to act in some classless movies is that some of the comments Prithvi made in his recent interview is childish. Everyone has the right to express their opinion. But it would be nice to check whether they themself follow the opinion they expressed about others.
I didnt find any of his/his wife’s comments offensive in the contreversial interview. I also don’t support the internet videos getting floated making fun of Prithvi. But I disagree with his comments about Lalettan and Mammokka should only act in the roles which suit their age. As long a the role is well etched out and the auidence are convinced with their performance, let them do whichever roles they feel like. Do not under estimate common movie watchers (not the fans who just boo/whistle in the theatre, nowadays most of our movies are made just for the first week crowd) sensibility.
Infact, Pritvhi is the one who acts in roles which doesn’t suit him. He is still not 30, I have seen him in roles which needs atleast 10 year senior actors than him like the many senior police officer roles he has performed in so many movies. He is the one who should concentrate in roles which suits his age.
As director Ranjith (Indian ruppe) rightly pointed out in the below comment, he should concentrate more on the roles as an ‘actor’, not as a ‘star’
“Prithviraj in Indian Rupee?
Raju was introduced to Malyalis through ‘Nandanam’. Then we teamed up again for ‘Thirakadha’. Later, Raju became a big ‘star’, though the term is something I do not like to describe an actor as. In fact, Jayaprakash in ‘Indian Rupee’ is a character tailored for an actor and definitely not one for a ‘star’. Raju has excelled in this role. In fact, Raju always strives hard to become a great actor, which is something I admire in him. This character dismantles his stardom to the very core.
In fact, I don’t appreciate the concept of stardom. It may help in boosting an actor’s image and raise his demand in industry. When I say Mammootty and Mohanlal are the two superstars in our film industry, I simply mean they are two gifted actors of great potential.”
Regards,
Sree
By: Sree on October 4, 2011
at 8:58 pm
watched renjith’S iNDIAN RUPEE…..
BRUTALLY BRILLIANT…..
PRITHVIRAJ, you are a very gud actor……
thilakan,jagathy,p raj rocked in this movie….
By: nikhimenon on October 8, 2011
at 2:24 pm
yes, Prithviraj is a fighter…
may GOD bless him…
coz he has got caliber and real talent…
i wish he had better pr skills too
By: nikhimenon on October 8, 2011
at 2:25 pm