Saaho will decide whether Prabhas is a two-hit wonder or bonafide pan-India superstar

For a whole generation of youngsters down south, he was an epitome of masculinity and style. His rugged persona and old-school muscle was the mainstay of his films between Varsham (2004) and Bujjigadu (2009). With Billa (2009), he refined his onscreen glamour as he looked more hip and trendy. He merged his ruggedness and edgy screen presence with a classy and relaxed image. He appealed to the millennials with his new stylistic makeover and it changed the image of a tough guy forever. With films like Darling (2010), Mr Perfect (2011) and Mirchi (2013), he showed that a well-read, classy, successful, well-earning, and gentle-looking man can be the subject of massy films. In short, even first-benchers can be awesome and dangerous.

And then, Baahubali 1 happened to him. His fan base extended beyond the south of India and reached almost every part of the country. His newfound popularity and strength to be a major crowd-puller received a shot in the arm with the release of Baahubali: The Conclusion in 2017.

The trailer of Saaho has made big promises of being the biggest action film ever produced in India. It has a certain Mission: Impossible feel to it. It seems to have plenty of adrenaline-pumping action sequences, marked by stunts that defy gravity and common sense. In a blink-and-miss moment in the trailer, we see Prabhas hagging on to the tail of a jet, while manoeuvring himself around a chopper in mid-air. It is audacious, no? But, it is what big-budget mainstream movies are meant for. To bring a completely unrealistic and bold vision to the big screen.

With the budget of Rs 350 crore, director Sujeeth was allowed to hire the services of the best film technicians to make unrealistic action scenes look real. Baahubali changed the way the mythological and period films were made in the country. Will Saaho do the same to the action genre?

And importantly, Saaho, more or less, will decide whether Prabhas was just a two-hit-wonder or he’s a bonafide pan-India superstar from the south.