A much-loved actor-director combination is back with the Tamil remake of Tumhari Sulu, and director Radha Mohan could not be happier.
When he first watched the Hindi original, he did so for Vidya Balan, “a terrific performer”. He loved the spirit of the film, the middle-age love story and the character of Sulu — innocent, positive and deeply individualistic. When he was approached for the Tamil remake with Jyothika, he was more than happy to come on board. “Everything just fell into place. There’s a lot of positivity around this project; everyone has had only kind things to say,” explains the director.
Will his regular favourites feature in this film too? Radha Mohan laughs: “Casting is very important for a film such as this, and I’m going to take my time. I don’t want to mis-cast even one role, because it is a performance-oriented film. Every character must be convincing and believable. During the process of scripting, some faces will float in, some magic takes place. I’m waiting for that.”
Radha Mohan has happy memories of Mozhi, a film that many believe is Jyothika’s finest. “That was a film where everything came together so well; I have the same feeling about this film.” The shoot for the film will begin in May, and the director is known to wrap up his films fast.
After years of making original films, this will be Radha Mohan’s second remake — the first is his current project with Vikram Prabhu, Arubadhu Vayadhu, Maaniram, adapted from the delightful Kannada movie Godhibanna Saadharana Maikattu.
“Of course, there will be some changes compared to Tumhari Sulu. I will retain the soul of the film, but there will be new scenes that will suit our milieu.” The director says that none of this was planned. “There was a time when I wanted to remake Queen; it did not work out, and I moved on. It’s sheer coincidence that I have two back-to-back remakes.”
Producer G Dhananjayan of BOFTA Media Works India says that when they got the rights to Tumhari Sulu, the team could only think of Jyothika in the film. “And then, we needed a director. We wondered who could do a great job, and everyone suggested Radha Mohan. He was happy to come on board; actually, everyone we approached for the film has loved the original and was waiting for someone to approach them. So, I’d be lying if I said we worked hard to put a team together. Everyone wanted to be a part of it.”
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The Radha Mohan interview is a Silverscreen exclusive.