Chiru gallops past Prabhas, Charan in horse-riding

Megastar Chiranjeevi , who is known for his dancing skills and dare-devil action, showcases horse-riding skills in his latest magnum opus 'Sye Raa....' to race ahead of new generation stars like Prabhas, Ram Charan and Rana along with seasoned star Balakrishna.

"Chiranjeevi on a horseback in a warrior role was a treat to watch for his legion of fans. They went berserk in theatres whenever he was seen galloping majestically to take on the British army as well as when he re-directs raging bulls in one episode," say action directors Ram Laxman, who think that horse-riding has become a 'new fad' in T-town these days.

"Ram Charan triggered the horse-riding journey with 'Magadheera' among young actors, followed by his colleagues Prabhas and Rana in 'Baahubali' franchise, who attained superstardom after learning the skills the hard way," they add.

Whereas, Ram Charan didn't have to train much for his role in "Magadheera' since he had learnt horse-riding in his childhood and it came in handy when he began to work for the re-incarnation epic drama 'Magadheera'.

"Ram Charan was fascinated with horses from his childhood and was an exponent in horse-riding. Even now, when he gets spare time, he is on the horseback at his friend's stable in Vikarabad.

He was surprised, when director Rajamouli put a condition that Charan should assure him that he would undergo horse riding training, before narrating the story of 'Magadheera.' Rest is history," says director Sudheer Varma.

However, his colleagues Prabhas, Rana and Allu Arjun had to sweat it out to mount the horse for their respective roles. In fact, Prabhas and Rana got trained under professional horse-riders and even from horse-riding police personnel and suffered few injuries, according to stunt director Siva.

Nevertheless, overlooking some injuries and bruises, the action stars Prabhas and Rana impressed viewers with their valiant roles in 'Bahubali' series.

"Horse-riding is not as easy it looks and it requires lot of confidence, commitment and perseverance from the actors," says director Gunasekar, who cast Allu Arjun in the role of warrior in 'Rudrama Devi.'

"Allu Arjun underwent training since he wanted to breathe-life into the character of Gona Ganna Reddy and learned a new skill set after few hiccups," he adds.

Although, middle-aged heroes like Nagarjuna and Venkatesh avoided such roles, Balakrishna mounted the horse to play real-life King 'Gautamiputra Satakarni'.

"Balayya is always game for challenges. When he heard the epic story, he knew that he has to practise a new skill and did a good job to enthrall Nandamuri fans." concludes director Krish.