If actor Venu is grinning ear to ear and cannot contain his excitement, it’s understandable. He has waited two years to see his film Ramachari see the light of the day. The laugh-a-thon is a remake of the 2003 Malayalam film CID Moosa starring Dileep and Bhavana. “The child in me had a lot of fun while watching the Malayalam film. I felt it will do well in Telugu,” says Venu, about the film that narrates the story of a detective and his loyal dog, Arjun.
The decision to remake the film was made two years ago. Kamalinee Mukherjee, Brahmanandam and Ali among others were roped in and the film went on floors. The shooting was wrapped up and things looked bright until he and the team saw the digital output of the film. “We shot the film on negative and much later found the digital output to be terrible. I don’t want to blame anyone; the film went through a number of labs,” explains Venu. The film had to be sent to Mumbai where the digital intermediate was redone. “It took us two months to identify where the trouble lies, after which the digital processing was redone in about six to eight months time,” he says. Venu doesn’t want to discuss that harrowing phase in his career and thanks his friends and family for rallying around him in support.
But now, the wait seems to be paying off. Ramachari is neither a big-budget film nor does it have a script that will be a game-changer. In fact, it packs in a lot of silliness that the audience end up laughing at. “I feel happy when I hear my friends say that children, in particular, are loving the film and clapping away at the antics of the dog, Arjun,” says Venu.
The Ramachari team reworked only a few portions of the original during the remake: “It’s a story that will work in any state; there wasn’t much to redo to keep with the native flavour,” says Venu. In a way, the actor is glad the film was delayed and the release coincided with summer vacation. “This is the best time for word of mouth publicity to get more family audience to the cinema halls,” he says.
Next, Venu is in the process of finalising a script for his forthcoming film. “I want to choose unusual storylines and genres. I went through a lean phase and hope Ramachari brings in fresh prospects,” he says.
