Not many films elicit unflinching appreciation among film buffs, cutting across regional and language barriers. The numbers would be fewer when you look at films not driven by stars. Alphonse Puthren’s Malayalam film Premam (2015), a coming-of-age love story, earned a loyal following. Everything about the film, from its storyline to music and actors (Nivin Pauly, Sai Pallavi, Anupama Parameswaran and Madonna Sebastian) were adored. When the talk of remaking it in Telugu came up in film circles, every move was watched closely.
Reprising Nivin Pauly’s role in the Telugu version, also titled Premam , Naga Chaitanya is acutely aware of having to match up to the original. As the team gears up to release Premam in September, Chaitanya gets candid. “My friends told me about the filmand said if it were made in Telugu, it would suit me. I watched it and fell in love with the film. Honestly, I didn’t know if we could do better than the original. Chandoo Mondeti (director) and I wanted to live up to it, if not better it,” he says.
Premam will have him in three stages — as a teen, a college going student and a man in his early 30s. The team decided to retain two of the original leading women, Anupama and Madonna. “Sai Pallavi was fantastic as Malar. But there were considerations. One opinion was that Telugu audience would prefer to someone more glamorous. We pitched the idea to Shruti Haasan and she was excited since she hadn’t done an understated role before,” says Chaitanya.
First crush
Chaitanya connected to the journey of the protagonist who falls in love with three women over the years. “There were many moments I could relate to. I was class VI or VII when I had a crush on a girl and I thought this is the girl I’d marry. When you’re so young, you are crestfallen when things don’t turn out your way and think it’s the end of the world,” he laughs.
Manam , he says, was emotionally challenging as he had to play dual roles while he found Premam physically taxing. The college portions were shot first, for which he grew a beard. For the third episode, he sports a mature, leaner look. “Once these portions were done, I took 15 to 20 days off, worked out and lost weight, shaved my beard and tried to look like a teen,” says Chaitanya.
Having watched the Malayalam film several times, Nivin Pauly’s portrayal kept playing in his mind. Chaitanya admits, “His method of acting was like a textbook for me. For the college portions, I took cues from his work. He comes across as an angry guy but there is an undertone of humour. I stayed close to what Nivin did. I did the teenage portions my own way, since I’m younger to him,” he says.
Chandoo Mondeti reworked the script to suit regional intricacies. For instance, Nivin runs a bakery in the later part of the story. While Kerala is dotted with baking units, a restaurant was considered apt for the Telugu version.
‘Evare’, the first song unveiled recently, sticks close to the original ‘Malare’. “Rajesh Murugesan’s music and background score was excellent. We didn’t want to spoil it and retained 80 per cent of the original tunes,” adds Chaitanya, explaining how in every department, the team intended to retain the original’s magic and yet not end up making a frame-to-frame copy.
Clash of biggies
The actor found himself in a Catch-22 situation when Gautam Menon also announced the release of Sahasam Swasaga Sagipo on September 9, leading to a clash with Premam . “We are working to release Premam on September 9, and SSS a few weeks later,” clarifies Chaitanya. SSS was shot ahead of Premam but its release was delayed, owing to several factors. “It makes sense for an actor to space out his releases. But filmmaking is unpredictable,” he shrugs.
SSS brings him back with Gautam Menon after Ye Maya Chesave in 2010. Chaitanya quips with a smile, “I think I’ve become better, I didn’t go through many retakes. I think I made his (Gautam Menon’s) work easier.” A.R. Rahman’s music has already drummed up expectations for the film. On the action-romance entertainer, Chaitanya says, “The first half is breezy, with YMC hangover. An incident changes things drastically and a revenge drama ensues.”
Next up is a home production with director Kalyan Krishna (of Soggade Chinni Nayana ).
