Prabhu Deva on his latest Tamil release Charlie Chaplin 2, and Dabangg 3 rumours

In 2016, actor-choreographer Prabhu Deva returned to face the arclights with Tamil horror-comedy Devi, and since then has starred in over half a dozen Tamil projects with _Charlie Chaplin 2_ , which released last week, being the latest addition to that list. He has three more releases this year and it shouldn’t be come as a surprise if he goes on to sign more acting assignments. In a group interaction, Prabhu Deva opens up on working in Charlie Chaplin 2, why he finds his latest acting stint exciting and his return to direction with Salman Khan’s Dabangg 3. [caption id=“attachment_4353981” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Prabhu Deva. Image from Facebook[/caption] Prabhu Deva says he didn’t plan the current phase of his career. As much as he’s glad that work keeps him occupied, he’s been taking up acting assignments because he finds them exciting. “I really didn’t plan and focus the last few years of my career on acting. Post Devi, director Vijay suggested we do a sequel and since I liked the idea, we decided to work on that project. Every project I signed post Devi had something exciting and each one was different from the other. Be it Mercury or Gulebaghavali or Yung Mung Sung; there was something exciting about each project and that’s what made me sign these films.” On Charlie Chaplin 2, which marks his reunion with director Sakthi Chidambaram after 17 years, Prabhu Deva says they had been planning to work together for quite some time. “Charlie Chaplin is one of the most successful films in my career. Sakthi and I for quite some time have been discussing ideas to collaborate, but unfortunately things never fell in place. Charlie Chaplin 2 wasn’t made to capitalise on the sequel trend. When Sakthi brought this story and we were all set to commence work, we felt it’d be ideal to title this film Charlie Chaplin 2. I really enjoyed working on this project. The journey of making this film has been very memorable.” Talking about criticism and how he sees it both as actor and filmmaker, Prabhu Deva says: “As an actor as well as a filmmaker, I respect criticism. Most of the times, what’s pointed out as problematic in a film by critics and audiences has turned out to be true. I look forward to hearing what the audience has to say about my work because they decide the fate of any film.” Asked if acting has tied him up from accepting new directorial assignments, he said: “I’ve always prioritised my projects. Honestly, I love direction more than acting and I have said this a few times in the past. It’s just that the last few years have been busy with acting assignments. In 2017, I was all set to direct a Tamil film with Vishal and Karthi. The project didn’t materialise for various reasons. It’s a very interesting script written by my late friend Subhash. Last November, I was supposed to direct another Hindi project. We wanted to shoot in London, but since it would be extremely cold around that time, we postponed the shoot. Since the project didn’t take off, I went ahead with my acting projects. We start shooting Dabangg 3 from April. I never really sit and plan my career.” Having recently completed shooting for Devi 2, Prabhu Deva is currently busy wrapping up work on Tamil action thriller Thael. This year, he will have two more Tamil releases in the form of Yung Mung Sung and Pon Manickavel, in which he plays a cop. “I have really interesting projects lined up for release. This is the most exciting phase of my career. Ten years from now, I don’t think I will do everything I’m doing now, so I might as well do it without any regrets. Be it dance or action, I just want to enjoy what I’m doing.”