India, Nov. 27 -- Actor Nikhil Siddhartha has finally wrapped up shooting for his first period action film, Swayambhu. At the end of a 2-year-long journey, the actor shares his experiences of shooting for the film with Hindustan Times. "A lot of people have been asking me why I didn't release a film this year, but I've been waiting for something big. And that big thing is Swayambhu. We spent 170 days over the course of two years shooting for it. In comparison, I shot Karthikeya 2 in 80 days," says Nikhil, settling down for a candid chat. Excerpts.

In the 11th century CE, a Chola warrior named Krishnan Raman existed. Nikhil says that when he heard of this senapati (commander), he just knew his story needed to be told. "I am a huge fan of ...