Salaar actress Sriya Reddy says she was ‘cursing Prashanth Neel in every breath’ during shoot

Sriya Reddy, the South actress made a grand comeback with the Prabhas starrer Salaar. During a recent media interaction, the actress spoke about her reference points and homework for the character of Radha Rama in the big-scale actioner.

We tried an angry school teacher look for Radha Rama: Sriya Reddy

Sriya Reddy was in an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla where she stated the iconic American TV show Game of Thrones being a major reference for her character’s look and feel. The Salaar actress stated, “Game of Thrones was a huge inspiration, esp. The women in the show.”

Sriya Reddy elaborated on how she, alongwith director Prashanth Neel, tried various looks for the character, including an angry school teacher-like look, before realising that it’s not working and deciding to push the boundary a bit more. She added, “We decided to do something Hatke, which would not probably be something everyone would like.”

I wanted to fight with Prashanth Neel every day on shoot: Sriya

Sriya Reddy further spoke about her discussions with Prashanth Neel, both before and during the shoot when they finalised the character’s look, and when she realised Prashanth Neel’s specific vision for the entire film, including her character. Reddy added, “Prashanth Neel wanted exaggerated eyes look. So that’s why in the film I have these eyes that look like the beak of a eagle. Prashanth Neel also didn’t want any distractions on my face, hence we decided to avoid the idea of tattoo after toying with it for a while.”

The actress also mentioned how Prashanth Neel had a specific colour palette he wanted to stick to, despite Sriya and the costume designer’s many sly attempts to sneak in a maroon or mustard coloured costume. She added, “The way her hand would flow, the way she walked - Prashanth was conscious about every small gesture and movement.”

During the discussion, Sriya Reddy also honestly admitted that she and Prashanth Neeel had many heated discussions on sets often, adding, “I was cursing him in every breath, wanting to fight with him every day at shoot but I also knew I was in very good hands.”

Salaar marked the on-screen return for Sriya Reddy after 8 years.