'Spyder' was a very challenging project: Murugadoss

Filmmaker A.R. Murugadoss says forthcoming Tamil-Telugu bilingual spy thriller "Spyder", which stars superstar Mahesh Babu in the role of an Intelligence Bureau officer, was a very challenging project.

Having delivered blockbusters such as "Ghajini", "Thuppakki" and "Kaththi", "Spyder" marks Murugadoss's maiden bonafide bilingual.

"It's not that I never wanted to make bilinguals in the past. The plan somehow didn't materialize. Also, most of my films get dubbed in Telugu and have had a good run. But from the beginning, the plan was to make 'Spyder' as a bilingual," Murugadoss told IANS.

The project marks Murugadoss's first-time collaboration with Mahesh Babu.

It has been his long-time desire to work with the "Okkadu" actor.

"We've been planning to work together for a decade now. In fact, I had even planned to remake 'Ghajini' in Telugu with Mahesh but things didn't fall into place and the film later got dubbed. Both of us are glad that we collaborated for 'Spyder'," he said.

The film marks Mahesh's debut in the Tamil industry.

Asked how it feels to launch a superstar in a new language, Murugadoss said: "Mahesh felt like a debutant, but for me, it was as important as any other film. Agreed, with him on board, there was more pressure to deliver, but it kept us motivated."

Shooting a bilingual took a toll on the entire team.

"In the beginning, the idea of a bilingual got us very excited. It was only after we started shooting, did we realize how challenging it was. Each scene and even the songs had to be shot twice. It was physically taxing, especially when most of the shooting happened at night," he added.

Murugadoss is all praise for Mahesh Babu, who he says was very accommodating.

"We had 80 days of night shoot. Not many stars would be willing to shoot through the nights so extensively. Mahesh is an exception and he never complained about night shooting. In fact, he offered to shoot extra days if needed," he said.

Slated for release on Wednesday, "Spyder" also stars Rakul Preet Singh, SJ Suryah and Bharath.