Sudheer Babu says he shot 16-hour days for Jatadhara amid work hour debate: ‘Once shot for 24 hours too’ | Interview

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Sudheer Babu talks about shooting for Jatadhara with Sonakshi Sinha and Shilpa Shirodkar.

Actor Sudheer Babu, who typically delivers at least two films per year, is set to release his first film of 2025, the mythological horror film Jatadhara. Talking to Hindustan Times ahead of its release on November 7, Sudheer says he wanted the film to be ‘perfect’. “Whenever I hear a script, I think about it like an audience rather than just an actor who wants to further his career,” he tells me, adding, “We all grew up hearing folklore and chandamama kathalu (moral stories). Jatadhara features a story like that which hooked me.”

Sudheer Babu talks about the challenges of shooting a mythological horror film like Jatadhara.

‘I grew up hearing stories like Jatadhara’

But what is the story of Jatadhara? Sudheer answers, “Imagine there’s buried gold and a pisachini (demoness) is protecting it. And there’s a ghost hunter, played by me, who doesn’t even believe in ghosts. And certain situations make these worlds collide. It was a very exciting film for me to shoot, because it is multi-layered and has more depth than it initially appears. I am sure the audience will have a fresh experience.”

Sudheer says that he grew up in Vijayawada when the assassination of politician Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga led to riots, and people would bury their valuables in the backyard. “There are two stories I remember from childhood. One is the ‘oh stree repu ra’ (Oh Stree, come tomorrow), which was made into Stree. And the other people’s buried valuables when Ranga garu died due to the rioting. I’m glad I get to explore a variation of one of them,” he explains.

‘We shot 15-16 hours for climax, even 24 hours one day’

For Jatadhara, Sudheer says he’s glad he didn’t just get to play a character he hasn’t played before, but also perform classical dance. “The Shiva Stotram song needed me to do the Shiva tandavam, which made me scared than anything else because I’ve never performed the dance form on screen before. But I’m sure the hard work will pay off once people watch it on-screen,” he says.

Amidst conversations about structured work hours, Sudheer reveals that they once shot for 24 hours for the film. “I didn’t even realise we went that long on the last day of shoot before the production unit pointed it out to me,” he said, adding, “Shooting the climax was taxing because we had 15 to 16-hour day shoots every day for a week. But we all took it as a challenge because this film demanded it.”

'Wasn't sure Shilpa Shirodkar could pull it off'

Incidentally, Sudheer shot for Jatadhara with Sonakshi Sinha and Shilpa Shirodkar as his co-stars. While Shilpa’s sister Namrata Shirodkar is married to Mahesh Babu, Sudheer is the husband of Mahesh’s sister Priyadarshini. When asked what it was like to work with her, Sudheer candidly says, “I wasn’t sure how Shilpa would pull off her role, to be honest. One of my favourite scenes in the film hinges on her character. But she delivered such a good performance, people must have never seen anything like it from her.”

As for Sonakshi, Sudheer has nothing but praise for her, calling her a ‘great actor’. “There were no tantrums, she’s the kind of actor who’s game to do what she’s told. She’s also a very good performer, more importantly, and has the power to emote with her eyes,” he adds.

So what’s next for Sudheer after Jatadhara? “I want to do inspirational films, particularly sports films, which can motivate people. But my immediate next is one of the biggest film concept-wise with Rahul Ravindran,” he says, rounding off.