Pruthvi Ambaar: I wasn't burdened by the America America legacy

Dia gave Pruthvi Ambaar all the name and fame he has carried this far. He could have easily stayed within the romantic space that audiences associated him with. Instead, he chose to move around, taking up different kinds of films and characters even as the shadow of that film continued to follow him.

Now, he is back with a love story, but one that comes with a very different association. Pruthvi plays one of the leads in Nagathihalli Chandrashekar’s America America 2, alongside Shanvi Srivastava and Nirup Bhandari, which is set to hit theatres worldwide this week. Based on a novel by Sahana Vijayakumar, the film brings together love, family and the lives of people who leave home to build a future abroad.

The obvious question is whether the film can help him move past the Dia hangover. “Even though I have done a whole lot of films after Dia, none has tried to overshadow it, and I don't know whether any will, because it was made with so much heart. I am doing another film, America America 2, with a similar theme. Will it break the Dia hangover? I feel America America 2 has that depth, and it is coming from Nagathihalli Chandrashekar, who has done a lot of love stories. So definitely, this will stand out. I am waiting to see how the audience receives it.”

He had stayed away from love stories for some time, despite audiences continuing to connect him with the genre. He does not see that association as a problem, but neither does he want to keep playing the same kind of part.

“People connect me with love-based subjects, and it has worked out very well. I am waiting to see the reception when the audience watches America America 2 in theatres. But I don't want to keep repeating myself either. As an actor, I want to move through different kinds of characters and stories. That is important.”

That is also why he is careful when asked if America America 2 has a similar emotional turn to Dia, particularly when it comes to sacrifice.

“I can't reveal that. You have to watch it in theatres. The question is also about who is going to sacrifice and what that sacrifice means in the story. I don't want to take that experience away from the audience.”

The film also takes a closer look at family, relationships and the lives of people who leave home to build a future abroad. Pruthvi sees something familiar in that part of the story.

“A novel has minute details and is written with depth. There are family values in this film, and each actor's role, whether it is Shanvi, Nirup or mine, has a certain space and a section of the audience can connect with it. The film deals with a mature plot and also looks at NRI life. People go abroad, leave their homes and start working. I have friends who left home early in their lives. There is a sacrifice involved. I feel they have their own war with life, and there is also alienation. But fate takes them there. They have to build a comfortable life while also leaving their home behind.”

Interestingly, Pruthvi did not know for most of the shoot that the film would eventually carry the title America America 2. He had grown up watching the original, but says knowing that this was its title from the beginning might have added unnecessary pressure.

“I never knew Nagathihalli sir would title the film America America 2. Thankfully, I didn't know the title till the end, so I didn't carry the burden that it was going to be America America 2. Obviously, the earlier film America America was a boon. I had watched it while growing up. It was a legacy and a hit. Carrying the title is an advantage, but it is also a huge responsibility. In today's terminology, it is not just a film, it is an emotion. America America has stayed with people through so many memories, so America America 2 will naturally have expectations.”

Working with Nagathihalli also gave Pruthvi a different kind of learning experience. He describes the set almost like a classroom, with the actors constantly trying to get the director's approval.

“He has been in the industry for so many years, but I never felt he had gone into saturation. He is still enthusiastic, energetic and curious about what the next shot is. His way of filmmaking was a big learning experience for me. It was like a school environment. We were all trying to impress him. After shooting a scene, we would wait for him to appreciate us. Whenever he said ‘good’, we were happy. We had put our heart into it.”

That learning has taken on another meaning for Pruthvi because he has recently taken up direction himself. Having spent years working with different filmmakers, he now finds himself looking at cinema from behind the camera as well.

“I did learn lessons with every director I have worked with. Now, I look at cinema from another perspective as a director,” says Pruthvi, who believes acting and direction are not competing sides of filmmaking, but complementing sides. "Each informs the other, and gives another way of understanding why a scene works, how an actor approaches it and what a director is trying to achieve."

That understanding also came into play while working with Shanvi and Nirup. Pruthvi says the chemistry between actors cannot be manufactured through competition.

“For me, acting is give and take. If competition comes in, we can overdo things. I don't believe in that. Nirup and I are from the same coastal belt, but I met him for the first time while shooting in the USA. We spoke a lot about life and connected quickly. Shanvi has performed really well, and in some scenes it was a challenge to match her level. That is what makes the on-screen chemistry work,” says Pruthvi, who wasn't bothered by the screenspace game. “I have never had that mindset. If the movie is connecting, I don't mind having less screen time. It is always about the story.”

And when it comes to love, Pruthvi feels the emotion itself has not changed, even if the people experiencing it have.

“Love is universal. You can't change the emotion. The trend might have changed, personalities might change and situations might change, but love is love. There is nothing like right and wrong either. The audience can take somebody's side. It depends on their perspective. Even with Dia, each person had a different stand,” says Pruthvi.

The distance from Dia to America America 2 has changed the way he looks at films, but he says it has not changed what he expects from himself. If anything, taking up direction has given him another perspective on the same craft. “I still feel honesty is important. Your story and your intention towards a project have to be pure. The audience will see that. You are also an audience member, so you don't have to study the audience. You have to be honest.”

He is equally clear about where he places the responsibility when a film does not work. “If my film is not working, I will not blame the audience. You can't put a gun to their head and tell them to watch your film. Cinema as art is beautiful because you cannot lobby people into liking it. If the audience likes a film, whether it is in theatres or on OTT, it will get its due credit. I am still longing to do good films and get closer to the audience.”

With America America 2, Pruthvi returns to the kind of emotional territory that first brought him close to a large audience, but this time with a filmmaker whose understanding of love stories comes from another generation.

As he puts it, “Nagathihalli sir has kept the vibe and emotion of America America, but with a different story.”