‘When I saw Shammi chettan, I remembered Thilakan uncle’; Prithviraj during Vilayath Budha trailer launch

Actor Prithviraj paid tribute to the late actor Thilakan and director Sachy during the trailer launch of ‘Vilayath Budha’. While talking about Shammi Thilakan’s portrayal of an older character in the film, he mentioned how it reminded him of Thilakan. Prithviraj stated that Shammi Thilakan’s voice and dialogues brought back memories of the legendary actor. The film is set to hit theatres on November 21.

Prithviraj further added, “Even if I don’t make another film with Sachy, I still wish he were here.”

“Shammi chettan and Thilakan sir have a natural resemblance in their appearances. Especially as Shammi Chettan grew older, there are many qualities about him that reminded me of a young Thilakan. In the film, Shammi chettan’s portrayal of an older character made me think a lot of Thilakan uncle. I spent a few days with Thilakan uncle during the filming of ‘Indian Rupee’, which was towards the end of his career. The appearance of his character in that film and Shammi chettan’s look in ‘Vilayath Budha’ seem very similar to me.”

“Shammi chettan’s voice and the way he delivers his dialogues at times reminded me greatly of Thilakan. This character certainly has a ‘Thilakan vibe’. If ‘Vilayath Budha’ had been made 20-25 years ago, I am quite sure Thilakan uncle would have played the character of Bhaskaran mash.”

Prithviraj continued, “I don’t need to be shooting to remember Sachy sir. I’m not someone with a large circle of friends in the film industry, but Sachy was one of those few I considered a true friend. We didn’t work together every year, but I knew that if he was ever in a crisis, he would call me, and I would do the same. Even now, if I didn’t make another film with Sachy, I still wish he were here.”

“When Sachy first spoke to me about this film, ‘Pushpa: Part 1’ hadn’t even been released yet. But by the time we finished shooting ‘Vilayath Budha’, ‘Pushpa 1’ and ‘Pushpa 2’ were released, and the character of Pushpa had become a huge phenomenon in India. So, for those who don’t know about the book, when they watch the trailer or teaser, they might think, ‘Is this similar to Pushpa?’ We accept that comparison,” Prithviraj concluded.