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EXCLUSIVE: Sonu Sood talks Simmba, the epic climax sequence with Ranveer Singh, Ajay Devgn and Sooryavanshi
In an EXCLUSIVE tête-à-tête with Sonu Sood, the actor spoke candidly about his character Durva Ranade in Simmba, the epic climax sequence where he was pitted against Ranveer Singh and Ajay Devgn aka Simmba and Singham as well as Akshay Kumar's Sooryavanshi surprise cameo.
Simmba was amongst the most anticipated movies of 2019 as it marked the first on-screen collaboration between Ranveer Singh and Rohit Shetty. While Simmba found its soul in the craziness of Mr. Singh, Rohit had the task of finding the apt antagonist to match up to the lead hero. R. Madhavan and Abhishek Bachchan were in the running, but eventually the role of Durva Ranade fell into the lap of the trustworthy Sonu Sood. And after watching Simmba, you can't imagine Durva being played by anyone except Sonu.
In an EXCLUSIVE tête-à-tête with Sonu, who was ecstatic about the initial positive word of mouth for his movie, the actor beamed, "It feels really great. All the 4-5 months that we were shooting for the film, we knew that the vibe that everyone shared on the sets was so positive that we were heading for something big. I remember, when Ranveer and I were dubbing for the film, and the technicians involved said that 'Sonu, this is going to be one of the biggest blockbusters than you can ever imagine.' We kept our fingers crossed and I'm glad that the hard work put in by every technician has paid off. I hope that 2019 is going to be just as exciting."
While Maddy and Junior Bachchan were in the running, Sonu feels that he was meant to play Durva. "I always feel that destiny brings you to the place where you belong to. Durva Ranade was always written for me. On the first day, when we did the first shot, Rohit came, hugged me and said, 'Durva is going to be big for you.' Finally, it happened," Sonu pondered.
"Durva is not an out-and-out negative character. He fought for his brothers, who had a mother, a wife and a son. When you see the movie, you see the layers in his characters. Durva was challenging to play because you are playing an antagonist and yet, you are a family man who respects the people around him. When the first show finished and people saw the screening, they said that they are in love with Durva and that's the time you feel that your job is done, as an actor," the actor spoke candidly while talking about playing the unconventional 'villain' in Simmba.
Judging by the Instagram posts, the bond between Sood and Singh was of brotherhood and when Sonu spoke to us, the friendship could be felt. "Ranveer is a great guy and we gelled well together. The bonding and chemistry we had on the sets, you can see it on-screen whenever we come face to face. We share a lot of common things. He's also into fitness, like me. I always believe a blockbuster needs positive people on the sets and positive vibes. And, I'm glad Rohit, Sara, Ranveer, me and everyone were so positive about this project that you can see those vibes when you watch the film," Sood shared.
One of the highlights of Simmba was the climax action sequence where Durva was pitted against not only Simmba but Singham (Ajay Devgn) as well. Talking about that epic scene which drew the loudest applause and whistles, Sonu recalled, "Now, Simmba and Singham are some of the biggest franchises we have. When both Ajay and Ranveer come at the climax, as it happens, Rohit kept telling throughout the schedule that that Durva is going to beat up both Singham and Simmba, a lot. I was waiting for that day to happen when the action sequence will be shot and Durva fighting Singham and Simmba together was going to be a treat for the audience. It happened and you can see the kind of reaction from the audience regarding a single man whose fighting both Simmba and Singham yet, he is looking very powerful in front of them. That's the time you realise how powerful this character has been sketched."
Simmba is a remake of Temper (2015) and when we asked Sonu if he drew inspiration from Prakash Raj, who played the villain in the Telegu film, Sonu stated, "I didn't see the movie. It has been directed by a very close friend of mine, Puri Jagannadh. I have done 3-4 movies with him but I knew that I never wanted to take any homework from the previous role that has been done by Prakash Raj. I wanted to give my own layers into the character and my own feelings. When you've seen a movie and are trying to make a remake out of the original, somewhere there are chances where you try to do something which is good, maybe done by another actor. When people who have seen Temper see Simmba, they should feel no comparisons or similarities to what is done by Prakash, who is a great actor. He must have done phenomenally well. I feel that Rohit had written this character of Durva Ranade which was totally different from what Prakash played. Prakash's was an out-and-out negative character. Durva was a character who had emotions and turned out to be a positive one."
A surprise package in Simmba which left everyone shocked was the announcement of Rohit Shetty's next movie Sooryavanshi, which will see Akshay Kumar back as a cop. Quiz Sonu on whether he was aware of the epic cameo in Simmba and the actor revealed, "It was a secret that was kept from everyone. A week before the film released is when we got to know about it. That was nice and special and I'm glad that people loved it. It was one after another, that the surprises come on the screen, I think that gives people a reason to celebrate. Simmba is not just a film, it's a celebration and a festival."
On a concluding note, when we asked Sonu what he wants the audience to take back from Simmba, the actor noted, "Everyone who will come and watch Simmba will come back again and again. It's a film that will get grandfathers, grandmothers, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, wives, husbands, everyone into the theatres. It's something which will set an example for a lot of filmmakers and producers that cinema is about celebration and entertainment. You just need to entertain people and that's what we are here for."
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