‘Each day was like going to war’

SS Rajamouli didn’t want just any art director for the Baahubali films. He wanted someone who could translate the grandness of his vision on to the screen and “capture the audience through the atmosphere.” That’s how Sabu Cyril came to work with him. “It’s all about realising dreams together,” he says. Cyril is not new to big-budget projects, having worked on films like Enthiran, Ra. One, and Krrish 3. Where does he place Baahubali among those films? “The Baahubali franchise has been a challenging exercise overall. But I felt like I was part of a family.

Sabu Cyril

I will just say that I’ll miss the team,” he says. Cyril was able to only accommodate two other projects (Shivaay and Lingaa) during the last five years. “Doing Baahubali is like working on 10 films at once. But I’ve no complaints. Part 1 had a lot of focus on graphics. Part 2 will have more to offer in terms of drama and content. We’ve put in so much work to get the costumes and other minute details, like ancient war weapons, just right,” he shares. The production designer had very little time to sleep during the making of the film. “I guess it’s only natural.

I had to wake up by 3.30 am and spend a lot of time on research. I had to decide what was suitable, what was not. We have created magnificent set pieces — rocks, mystical water bodies, etc. We were making something or the other till we finished shooting. I drew a lot of references from the Pallava-era architecture.” Cyril credits Rajamouli for pushing the team on. “Art direction isn’t merely about constructing a set. It goes beyond that. Rajamouli is extremely passionate about cinema. He has this quest for authenticity. We met during the narration and he showed me the image of a gigantic waterfall on Photoshop. That day, I understood the scale of the film,” he adds. Ask him why he only seems to work on such grand projects and he laughs.

“There’s no agenda.” He points out that he has done small-budget films including Kanchivaram and Sila Samayangalil. Long hours and temperamental technicians–how did he deal with it all? “It’s all in the mind. Everyone has the same 24 hours. It’s all about scheduling work and being determined. I like challenges. For a fight sequence, we had to coordinate with about 2,000 people. We managed, but every day felt like we were going for war. Even though you know it’s not real, the art direction must make you believe that it is. Baahubali is a film that every Indian should be proud of.” Sabu draws inspiration from “the universe. I believe in nature and books. Reading has helped me grow.” He next has the multilingual, Sangamithra. “Yes, it’s again a period film, and will be made on a mammoth scale,” he smiles.