Oh Manapenne, the upcoming Tamil film starring actors Harish Kalyan and Priya Bhavani Shankar in the lead roles, is set to premiere on Disney+ Hotstar, the makers of the film announced on social media recently.
The film, directed by Kaarthikk Sundar, is backed by A Studios LLP, A Havish Production, SP Cinemas, Madhav Media and Third Eye Entertainment banners. It is the official remake of the 2016 Telugu romantic comedy film Pelli Choopulu, starring Vijay Devarakonda and Ritu Varma in the lead roles. The film follows the lives of a boy and girl who meet during a match-making event and grow together by pursuing their dreams. The Telegu film had fetched several accolades for its cast and crew.
Speaking to Silverscreen India, Kaarthikk who is making his directorial debut said, “Initially, in 2016, when the film came, I saw it and was very fond of the film. It had layers of emotions. I had even suggested to Harish that it would be good if he does the film then. But at that time, someone else had the rights to the film. By god’s grace, it came back to us. Once Harish took up the project, he put a word about me and I’d like to thank Harish for that”.
Kaarthikk said that helming remakes is more difficult than making an original film, as remakes tend to lead to comparisons. This is especially if the film has won accolades in the past. “We have kept the essence of the film intact, while executing it with Harish and Priya who are brilliant actors. This is our take on Pelli Choopulu. It is definitely not a frame-by-frame remake. Since Southern States have many commonalities, there was not much to change,” he said.
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Speaking about the characterisation of the lead pair, the filmmaker said, “We wanted a boy next door look with an ability to pull off humour. Harish fit the bill. As for the female lead, we wanted a bossy character. We found a Tamil speaking artist in Priya.”
Apart from Harish and Priya, the film will also feature Ashwin Kumar, Venu Arvind, among others.
The film has been shot by cinematographer Krishnan Vasant in and around Chennai. Emphasising that music is an important element in a romantic-com, the filmmaker said that Vishal Chandrashekhar has composed seven tracks, out of which four are featured as songs in the film.
Deepak Sundarrajan who has helmed Annabelle Sethupathi, has penned the dialogues while he has written the additional Screenplay along with Sanjeev and Kaarthikk.
The post production is nearing completion and that release date will be announced soon.