This year is going to end on a high note, given that some amazing movies are lined up for release. From Shah Rukh Khan's Dunki to Prabhas starrer Salaar, the two Indian movies have had fans waiting with bated breath. While 2023 turned out to be SRK's year, with Jawan and Pathaan being monstrous hits, the Baahubali actor saw a tumultuous year in terms of box office.

Yet another blockbuster clash, Salaar and Dunki, will release just a day apart. While this marks Shah Rukh Khan's first ever collaboration with Rajkumar Hirani, the upcoming South movie is a make-or-break for Prabhas.

While Salaar already looks promising, critics and trade analysts still question if Prabhas will be able to overcome his back-to-back flops like Adipurush and Radhe Shyam. Amidst all this, the film's director, Prashant Neel, came in defense of the actor.

Prashant Neel shares the journey of Salaar

The KGF franchise fame Prashant Neel hopes to repeat the phenomenon of him delivering a blockbuster yet again with his upcoming movie. The filmmaker who made his debut with Ugramm opened up about how he visualizes his movies.

He said he never envisions his movies being pan-Indian releases. In a recent interview, he said, 'I've written a story, and I've executed it. I don't know if it ('Salaar') is going to be a pan-India movie or not. But if it becomes a pan-India movie, then that's an absolute bonus for all of us. Like, 'KGF' happened very organically."



Also Read: Dunki Vs Salaar - 3 Reasons Why The Films Have Completely Different Audiences

'Movies that happen organically always do well. You can't plan to make a pan-India movie you can't plan and say that I'm going to bring these actors from this industry to make it a pan-India movie. It doesn't work like that,' Neel further added.

The 43-year-old director revealed that the journey of the upcoming action drama started about 15 years ago.

'It was an idea that was in my head. But it needed a very big budget. So, I made my first film 'Ugramm', then I made 'KGF'. I was occupied with 'KGF' for almost eight years. During COVID-19, I narrated this subject ('Salaar') to Prabhas sir, and he agreed to do it,' Prashant recalled.

Salaar director on Prabhas' Adipurush and Radhe Shyam debacle

He also opened up about how the Baahubali actor had a difficult run at the box office after delivering back-to-back flops like Adipurush and Radhe Shyam. However, this did not affect his decision to get Prabhas on board.

Neel said, "There was never pressure to make 'Salaar'. The idea is to make sure that the actor looks like a character. You don't want to show Prabhas as Prabhas you want to show him as a character, and I tried our best to do something like that."

Also Read: 3 Times When Prabhas Shattered The Box Office With His Blockbuster Movies

'Prabhas is a big star. After 'Baahubali', he became the biggest star. People are not going to forget something like that. Stars have always been stars they can have one flop or 20 flops they just need to give one hit. Recently, Shah Rukh Khan showed us that a star is always a star there's no denying that,' he further added.

More about Salaar

The upcoming action drama will see Prabhas in the titular role. Alongside him, the cast of Salaar also features Shruti Haasan, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Eshwari Rao, Jagapathi Babu, and Sriya Reddy.

As per the current status, the Prabhas starrer has overtaken Dunki's advance booking across the country, despite having prominently fewer shows. Dunki vs. Salaar will mark yet another massive clash after Animal and Sam Bahadur.

Salaar releases on December 22 in cinemas near you.