Did you know Vijay Sethupathi’s 96 director Prem Kumar wanted to make the film in Hindi with THIS actor?

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Did you realize that the 2018 romantic drama ’96, starring Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha Krishnan, is one of the most beloved films from the past ten years? Interestingly, this movie was originally intended to be a Bollywood production with Abhishek Bachchan in the lead role.

Indeed, Prem Kumar, the director of ’96, shared during the Indian Screenwriters Conference that originally, he conceived the movie as a Hindi film with the intention of presenting it to Abhishek Bachchan for consideration. However, at that time, he lacked the necessary contacts to do so.

Beyond this, the director of Meiyazhagan, Prem Kumar, further expressed his deep affection and bond with Hindi films. He mentioned, “I am fluent in Hindi, and my father was raised in North India. This meant I was immersed in Hindi cinema during my youth. My admiration for an actor, Naseeruddin Shah, was immense.” Moreover, Kumar disclosed that he has recently finished writing a script in Hindi as well.

During a seminar titled “The South Saga – Grounded, Contemporary, and Radical,” the director shared some significant insights, which was one of the events at the Indian Screenwriters Conference. This session also included other well-known figures such as Christo Tomy known for Ullozhukku, Hemanth M Rao from Sapta Sagaradaache Ello, and Vivek Athreya of Saripodha Sanivaaram fame.

For those unfamiliar, the movie titled ’96’ is a romantic drama released in 2018 starring Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha Krishnan as the main characters. In addition to these two, Devadarshini, Janagaraj, Bagavathi Perumal, among others, play significant roles in the film. The story centers around a pair of high school sweethearts who reconnect 22 years later at their school reunion.

At its premiere, the movie was both critically and financially successful, largely because it delved deeply into emotion and stirred up nostalgia through its topic. It’s frequently recognized as one of the best Tamil romantic movies ever made.

On the professional side, Prem Kumar’s recent output is the 2024 movie titled Meiyazhagan, starring Aravind Swamy and Karthi in prominent roles. This film centers around these two characters reconnecting after a gap of 22 years, and their subsequent time spent together serves as the main narrative thread.

Beyond this, it’s been mentioned that the director intends to create a follow-up for ’96, but he hasn’t provided specifics about it yet. Moreover, he’s also shared that he’s nearly finished writing a screenplay in Hindi.

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2025-02-17 13:07