AR Murugadoss is battle-ready. He is as confident about 'SPYder' as is Mahesh Babu. In this interview, the celebrated filmmaker answers a range of questions with ease.

What is your state of mind a day before the release of 'SPYder'?

I have worked with a superstar like Mahesh Babu in a bi-lingual. So, one is automatically tensed. Moreover, this is my first proper bi-lingual.

After 'Stalin', why have we seen so much of gap before you made a straight Telugu movie?

I was into making Tamil and Hindi movies. 'Thuppakki' was dubbed into Telugu. This time I didn't want to do a dubbed movie. I was keen on a bi-lingual.

What inspired you to make this film?

There are two things. An accident and a disaster. In case of the former, we don't respond as a humankind. We take selfies and upload it on social media. But when a disaster strikes, we act on our humanity. We reach out to help others. Twenty years ago, when an accident would occur, everybody would go out of their way to reach out to the victim. We should help out others in all circumstances. That's what the film indirectly says.

These days, we are nuclearized as families. Even within a family, people are not properly connected to each other. There was a time when we were God-fearing. But now, we are afraid of someone watching us via a secret camera. On the upside, it's easy to solve murder mysteries these days with the help of technology.

Why did you go in for SJ Suryah for the villain's roles?

Mahesh is the kind of hero who can beat to the pulp even fifty villains. He is all-powerful on the screen. But my villain is someone who operates secretly. He is invisible. He is hiding. He can mount a gorilla attack anytime. He respects no law. He follows no rules. He is like Mahabharatha's Shakuni, who destroys his enemies psychologically. He plays mind games. He is more powerful than even ten villains. I felt that only Suryah can do such a role.

Do you think people like to be given a message through a commercial movie?

If it is not preachy, the audiences are definitely going to love it. If the aim is to give only a message, then it becomes vapid. And if it's a big hero, it will become that much easier.

What is Mahesh Babu's character like?

He is a junior officer at the Intelligence Bureau. He is very stylish. What it is like to be an intelligence officer is showcased through his character. The enmity between him and the villain is quite powerful. Mahesh has done it quite wonderfully.

In 'Thuppakki', the hero was quite realistic. In 'SPYder', he seems to be larger-than-life. How did you go about conceiving these characters?

I don't know what the audiences are thinking about the hero from what they have watched in the Trailer. I would say, let the film be watched first. This is a cent per cent realistic movie. You won't find any scene that is unrealistic.

What would you say are the major highlights?

There is an episode which took us 25 days to shoot. About 2000 artistes participated in this episode. There are risky shots too in this episode. There is a roller-coaster fight as well. It has got a lot of importance in the film.

In the second half, the hero, along with certain women, catches the villain. This 20-minute episode is the film's major highlight.

Did you find it risky to do a bilingual with Mahesh?

Generally, bi-linguals have certain common scenes and shots. But in the case of 'SPYder', you won't see the same background music for both the versions. The BGM has been done keeping in mind Mahesh Babu's image in Tamil, where he is a new hero, and in Telugu, where he is a superstar.

How have you portrayed Mahesh in this movie?

I have watched all of his super hits. As per the script, his body language is cent per cent different. Mahesh has never done such a character previously. Our tastes converge with respect to the body language and the action sequences. He likes the fights to be natural. You are going to see a new Mahesh for sure.

You have worked with Megastar Chiranjeevi and Mahesh Babu. Who was more comfortable for you?

I did 'Stalin' ten years ago. I was very young, while Chiranjeevi garu was very senior to me. I was jittery because of the same. That nervousness would be there when you are doing a film for the first time in a different language. Yet, he made me feel comfortable. I was not tensed before teaming up with Mahesh. It's because I have known him for the past 10 years. We are now good friends.

Is it true that you have narrated a story to Prabhas?

There is no truth in it. I have only spoken to him on phone in a casual manner. But no discussion about any project took place.