Sabu Cyril’s work no longer surprises the audience. For, they have come to expect it from the veteran art director, who has been a constant behind many a colossal film.
Bahubali-The Beginning , the Rs. 250-crore magnum opus directed by hit-maker S.S Rajamouli, is another addition to the list. As has been his wont, Cyril has put up another brilliant exhibition, worth the weight that his name has come to carry.
Cyril’s creative magic is one of the major factors behind the movie’s trailer going viral. Not many know that the breathtaking cliff in the trailer is the handiwork of Cyril.
The film is already regarded as a work that will push the bar for art direction a few notches higher. “I spent almost two-and-a-half years on Bahubali . I even shifted base from Chennai to Hyderabad to be part of the epic movie,” said Cyril. From the period sets for Santosh Sivan’s Asoka to the hundreds of robots in Shankar’s blockbuster Endhiran , Cyril’s imagination has proved to be without boundaries.
The ultimate stamp of approval has come from none other than Rajamouli, who went to the extent of saying that Bahubali would not have been possible without Cyril.
“The screenplay took just two-and-a-half months to complete. But it took more than a year for Sabu sir to come up with the set design, source the materials,” the director said.
So engrossed was Sabu by Bahubali that he did not have to think twice to say no to numerous major assignments. But the makers of Rajini-starrer Lingaa would not have anyone else to take up the assignment and even agreed to shoot major portions of the film at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, where Bahubali was being shot extensively.
Meanwhile, the master craftsman is expected to start work on the second part of Bahubali from August. Reports are rife that he may also start preparing for the second part of Endhiran soon.
G. Krishnakumar
