All eyes are on Natasimha Balakrishna's high-octane action entertainer Bhagavanth Kesari which is releasing on 19 October 2023. The film is directed by Anil Ravipudi and Balakrishna is playing a completely different role. The presence of Kajal Agarwal and Sree Leela as the female cast is exciting movie lovers. Apart from it, with Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal, who won a national award for his performance in Rock On, set to enter into Tollywood with a power-packed role, viewers' interest levels are increasing.

Balakrishna is known for his action sequences and ahead of the film release, stunt choreographer Venkat unraveled the action blocks in Bhagavanth Kesari during his interaction with the scribes.

How did you compose fights for Balakrishna?

When Anil Ravipudi told me to design action blocks for Balakrishna, he had a clear vision in his mind. He told me that the action blocks should be unique and different from Balakrishna's earlier films. For eg, Balakrishna's stunts in slo-mo in Veera Simha Reddy is one style of action sequence. In Bhagavanth Kesari, the action sequences in the first half will be different from those in the second half. In the first half, Balakrishna will be appearing in the aged look while in the second half, he will be seen with a young look. We kept Balakrishna's speed in mind and designed the stunts. We planned the stunts in a natural and realistic way just like in Hollywood films without going over the top. Initially, I was scared but Anil gave me confidence that the stunts will be apt for the story. We also adapted and tried different styles of action for Balakrishna. It will appeal even to the viewers.

What do you mean by new style?

In his earlier films, other characters used to be shown in the stunts of Balakrishna with them flying high in the sky, etc. In this film, Balakrishna's hard work and intensity are highlighted. He used to hit 15-20 people with ease in a single shot and we did not have many cuts in between. We calculated his speed and planned the stunts.

So there won't be any slo-mo shots

We have reduced slow-motion shots to the minimum. We used 24 24-frame camera rather than 1000 frames camera for a realistic effect. Anil from the beginning insisted on this realistic take.

How did you plan weapons for Balakrishna?

We planned in a natural way. He uses one type of weapon and during the interval block where factory set was erected, he fights with pipes etc. In this film, Balakrishna do not kill anyone, he will only bashes them.

How is it working with Balakrishna?

I worked with Balakrishna earlier for Paisa Vasool, Jai Simha, Veera Simha Reddy. That helped me to prepare well and design the stunts for this film on him. Veera Simha Reddy gave me confidence on how to handle a top star like Balakrishna. It was like a learning process and in Bhagavanth Kesari, we got more ideas on how to design stunts. From the beginning, we planned for fast cuts for the action sequences and Pradeep helped in editing it perfectly.

On action sequence with Arjun Rampal

Arjun Rampal's action episode comes during the climax. It is not right for Balakrishna to hit Arjun Rampal character suffering a disability. In the climax we made Arjun Rampal remove his shirt. This set the tone for the high-octane fight featuring Arjun Rampal and Balakrishna. We deviced a fight in which Arjun Rampal had the upper hand but Balakrishna did not object to it. Arjun Rampal makes his presence felt with utmost intensity for more than 30 seconds before Balakrishna shows his power. Generally in Balakrishna's films, villains will never touch him. But here Balakrishna gets bashed and he enjoyed it.

How many action sequences in Bhagavanth Kesari

There are around 7-8 high-octane action sequences in the film.

Precautions taken for star heroes while choreographing stunts

When contemplating an action sequence, we consider both its potential benefits and risks. We meticulously assess whether the actor is capable of executing it safely. Every moment is closely monitored, and we take every precaution necessary. For instance, even when securing a rope, we ensure it remains firmly under our control at all times.