'Skylab' is all set to hit the screens this Saturday (December 4). A film directed by newcomer Vishvak Khanderao and produced by Prithvi and Nithya Menen, the comedy is a period drama set in a village in Telangana.

In this interview, Satyadev talks about his character in the movie and why he did it. He also throws light on a number of aspects related to the entertainer.

Here are the key highlights of what he has said:

When the Skylab threat arose (the first US space station disintegrated in the atmosphere on July 11, 1979, scattering debris across the Indian Ocean and Western Australia), people feared that they would be dead because Skylab debris can fall on anyone. They made merry, someone swallowed gold coins, they bought insurance policies and did other strange things. So much fun has been generated by milking those incidents from the past in our film.

The Telangana slang back in the 1970s was more rooted. We used the Sync Sound technology. An authentic film like this one needed authentic dialogue delivery. That's why the Sync Sound was used. The colour scheme is saturated, which is away from the conventional type of palette adopted for period films.

If the comedy is generated by the characters and situations, it will be more enjoyable. I haven't got to work with Nithya Menen (who is a journalist named Gowri) because her track doesn't have scenes with me or Rahul Ramakrishna. The shooting schedules didn't intersect.

Director Vishvak Khanderao came to me with a suitcase to narrate the story. He had prepared a lot of data and information before explaining the script. The story-boarding was done meticulously. He was very crystal clear.

During the pandemic, I asked Vishvak if we should do a simple film instead of this script. But the director was determined to make 'Skylab' first. He wanted to deliver the project come what may.

This is not an out-and-out fun outing. There is slight philosophical touch as well. Many people around the world were convinced that they were doomed because of the Skylab crisis. But their fears turned out to be paranoid. Fun has been generated from those turn of events.

The audience have been wanting to see me in a new look. I have done that for this movie. 'Gurthunda Seethakalam' (in which I have got three different looks in the out-and-out love story), 'Ram Sethu' (Hindi) and 'Godse' have been shot more or less simultaneously. My look is in keeping with the characters in those movies.

'Thimmarusu' was my first release in the second wave. Its box office performance gave confidence to many filmmakers. It received housefull collections. Even on OTT, it has been a hit.

'Nayakudu' is among my favourite films. The characters played by Chiranjeevi garu in 'Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari' and 'Apathbandhavudu' are among my dream roles. I played Prabhas garu's friend's role in 'Mr. Perfect'. It's as important as 'Thimmarusu' because I wouldn't have got to do the latter had the former not happened to me.