Inspired by nature

Sabu Cyril, inarguably one of the best art directors/production designers in the country, believes SS Rajamouli’s ‘Baahubali – The Beginning’ has given him another shot to exhibit his skills. “Possessing talent is one thing and getting an opportunity to showcase it is another. ‘Baahubali’ turned out to be a platform for me to try out everything I wanted to and knew. Be it making horses, elephants and bison’s (all mechanical) fall, stop or polishing my physics and chemistry for certain setups, I had to give everything I had for this film,” shares Sabu, known for films like ‘Robot’, ‘Guru’ and ‘Kaalapani’ among others, in a freewheeling conversation with Hans Talkies.

‘Baahubali – The Beginning’ tells the fictional story of two warring brothers (played by Prabhas and Rana) battling for control over an ancient Indian kingdom and admittedly it was difficult to create an era which barely had any references. “In fact, the film on the whole wasn’t easy because it revolves around a time without references. If it was a film like ‘Asoka’ or ‘Kaalapani’, the period and the architecture style of that time was known whereas ‘Baahubali’ happens to be a piece of fiction that transpired in an ancient kingdom. The only references I had were the ‘Amar Chitra Katha’ comics. The rest was imagination, subject to the script and its characters’ behaviour,” avers Sabu.

He adds as an afterthought, “However, it had to be Indian. If Rome existed 2,000 years ago, ‘Baahubali’ would have existed 1,000 years ago. And the setting of the era would most probably have been more refined, right?”

Sabu asserts that everything created by him for the film was strenuous and challenging. “Even a song which I thought would be the least challenging to work on proved to be difficult as an indoor forest had to be designed for it. Flowers and plants worth Rs 60 lakh were imported from China to ensure a forest-like look to the set.

“Also we designed a 100 feet statue of Bhallaladeva (played by Rana) for the film. To lift it was a job easier said than done because its head, chest and legs were at 28, 35 and 25 feet respectively. I think ‘Baahubali’ is the only Indian film for which so many cranes have been used,” says Sabu, a fan of master painter Leonardo da Vinci, with a smile.

SS Rajamouli, shares Sabu, is a visionary who is different from some of the acclaimed names he has collaborated with in his 25-year-long career. “He has a clear-cut vision of what he desires from his team. To get into his zone was difficult initially but as time progressed, our wavelengths matched. I’ve worked with people like Mani Ratnam, Shankar and Kamal Haasan, all of who are passionate and breathe cinema. But Rajamouli is possessed by it; everything he says centres around films,” insists the ace technician who takes inspiration from nature.

“I’m not a film buff. I’d rather observe nature for inspiration. It might look simple at the outset but if you get into its details, it’s complicated,” signs off Sabu whose two daughters are currently employed with him.

Nagaraj Goud