Exclusive: Meka Srikanth reveals that one lesson we all can take from his character in Shoot-out At Alair

When we think of a cop on-screen, especially when it comes to Telugu cinema, most of us will end up imagining Meka Srikanth. We were curious about what was different about playing  IG Praveen Chand and what he took away from the character in Shoot-out At Alair.  Meka Srikanth opened up to us about it in a candid conversation.

Watch the trailer for Shoot-out At Alair right here!

Also Read: Shoot-out at Alair: Did you know Teja reminded Anand Ranga of his all-time favourite Toshiro Mifune? 

Q: What would be your takeaway from the character of IG Praveen Chand?

A: IG Praveen Chand is a daring officer who stands up for justice. And he has a pure soul. He has a very strong character. Maybe we all should take that part of his calmness, daring attitude, and stands up for justice.

Q: Are there any similar traits between your character IG Praveen Chand and you?

A: IG Praveen Chand is a powerful character. He knows where to talk, where to be calm, where to be angry. I am more of a calm person.

Q: What makes this role more challenging than the other characters you’ve played in the past?

A: As I told before, an actor needs to give very realistic expressions for a web series. In films, we would take the liberty of being a little dramatic in the body language or expressions. Though I played a cop in films before, IG Praveen Chand is in a completely different meter!

Also Read: Shoot-out At Alair teaser: The Srikanth and Prakash Raj starrer ignites endless suspense

Q: We keep seeing you as a cop, is this your favourite type of role?
A: Hahaha.. well, I like playing a cop… basically I like cop stories. But then, every cop story is different and every cop behaves differently. In Khadgam, my character was of a serious, angry, young cop. But here in Shoot-out at Alair, it is quite opposite. A 55-year-old cop with a level headed mind.

Q: Apart from the legendary Prakash Raj, almost all members of the cast are relatively newer. How did you all get along?

A: It was a wonderful experience. The casting was done purely on the basis that they should look real. So the team went all out in different languages and platforms in search of actors. Sandeep Sahu who plays Nasir is an amazing theatre actor and this is his debut.

Q: Any interesting anecdotes/bloopers from when you were shooting Shootout at Alair?
A: Shooting at realistic locations like Charminar, old city in Hyderabad in Covid times will always be memorable to me! We would wait for hours just so that the traffic is cleared.

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