Really liked Sulu’s character, says ‘Kaatrin Mozhi’ director Radha Mohan

More than a decade after Mozhi, director Radha Mohan and Jyotika are back with Kaatrin Mozhi, the Tamil remake of Hindi hit Tumhari Sulu

Radha Mohan doesn’t mind being given the staple of ‘feel-good’ filmmaker. A decade after the success of Mozhi , the director is once again associating with Jyotika in the upcoming comedy-drama Kaatrin Mozhi . Even though the duo is working after a long gap, Radha Mohan says he was constantly in touch with the actress and even contemplated the idea of a sequel to Mozhi . Ahead of the release of Kaatrin Mozhi , Radha Mohan explains what went into the making and why it’s necessary for filmmakers to adapt to changing times. Excerpts:

Barring the fact that it stars Jyotika, what convinced you to take up this film?

Ever since Jyotika’s comeback, people were asking when I would collaborate with her. Working with her has always been in my mind and I was waiting for the right script. One day, I got a call from Jo, asking me if I would be interested in remaking

Tumhari Sulu in Tamil. I watched the Hindi version and I really liked the spirit of the film. Of course, Vidya Balan did a fabulous job. The character (Sulu) had a gamut of emotions and that drew me towards the subject.

How different is the writing process for a remake?

Once you start working on the screenplay, it naturally becomes a fresh script and you almost tend to forget the fact that it’s a remake. Of course, we had to change certain things for the Tamil audiences. In the sense, Kaatrin Mozhi will have new scenes and characters that weren’t there in the original.

One of the reasons why

Tumhari Sulu worked was because of its organic comedy. And it’s safe to say that comedy is your biggest strength.

Like my previous films, the humour factor has been handled very organically in Kaatrin Mozhi as well. Nothing was forced just for the sake of comedy, especially when Jyotika’s character itself is so much fun to watch.

Usually, the problem with a remake is that it invariably calls for comparisons...

Directors don’t necessarily have to be writers. I see Kaatrin Mozhi as a story that I borrowed from another writer and not a remake per se. Yes, comparisons are inevitable. But what if people say the Tamil version is better than the Hindi? That’s also possible, right?

So, you mean to say that the treatment is different in Tamil?

Yes, especially after Jyotika becomes a radio jockey in the film. We had to tweak certain elements to suit the sensibilities here. Even for those who had watched the Hindi film, this will be something new. The purpose of a remake is to use the best moments. At the same time, we cannot accommodate everything. For example, we had to tone down the RJ portions that were a little sensual in Hindi. Vijayalakshmi in Kaatrin Mozhi makes a difference to the lives of her callers.

Even though Tumhari Sulu centres on Vidya Balan, it was Manav Kaul’s character that was highly praised. You have Vidharth playing Kaul’s role in Tamil.

Casting Vidharth was the challenging part because not many people would voluntarily take up such a role. Since it stars Jyotika, we wanted a familiar actor for the husband’s role. Vidharth had watched the film and was excited about playing Kaul’s role. When you have an actor who realises the potential of the character instead of the director convincing him to do otherwise, it really shows up on the screen.

Uppu Karuvadu and Brindavanam were your previous films that didn’t make the cut, even though they had promising premises. Do you think the results would have been different had it featured a better cast?

Not at all. It was unfortunate that Uppu Karuvadu released during the Chennai floods. Small films without familiar actors have been successful. The casting doesn’t determine the fate of a film at the box office, and we’ve been witnessing this lately. It depends on the content and promotion.