Call it the Baahubali (2015) effect, but expectations soar high when a Prabhas-starrer is up for release. The actor is aware of the pressure that sits on his strong shoulders, although his calm smile may belie it. As we sit down to chat about his upcoming movie, Radhe Shyam, we begin our conversation by asking him about the biggest challenge of being a pan-India star. “Choosing the perfect pan-India script is the toughest part,” he says, in a heartbeat. “So far, only three films [from the south industry] have been pan-India hits — Baahubali, KGF: Chapter 1 [2018] and Pushpa [2021]. Tomorrow, we will make more of such films. But it’s difficult to crack it in the beginning. It will take us four to five years to get there.”