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Romantic movies are not my cup of tea
Samantha, who is in a relationship with Chaitanya, was on his mind to play the part that Madonna Sebastian essayed but since ‘a star like Shruti Haasan’ was already on board to reprise Sai Pallavi, he had to drop his plan.
Director Chandoo Mondeti was one of the firsts to watch Malayalam ‘Premam’ when it released in select screens in Hyderabad a year ago.
But never did he imagine that he would be asked to direct the remake as he was discussing a couple of fresh ideas with Naga Chaitanya.
“Around 10 producers were willing to make remake ‘Premam’ if Chaitanya was ready. Even Sithara Entertainment (S Naga Vamsi and PDV Prasad) too came up with the proposal but I was hesitant as the original was very rooted in Malayalam and was more of a slice-of-life drama than story. But as I started rewriting it according to our nativity, I got excited. Only after I was convinced that it would work in Telugu that I briefed the producer and actor what I wrote,” Chandoo, who caught the attention of many with the way he went about remaking the Malayalam smash hit, recalls.
Smiling he continues, “When I was writing I was sure that I needed Venkatesh and Nagarjuna in cameos and Anupama Parameswaran in one of the roles. After the producer obliged to my requests, I took the film on to floors.”
He admits that Samantha, who is in a relationship with Chaitanya, was on his mind to play the part that Madonna Sebastian essayed but since ‘a star like Shruti Haasan’ was already on board to reprise Sai Pallavi, he had to drop his plan.
“It was a team decision and we decided to repeat Madonna. We felt she was apt and would bring in the freshness factor,” he reveals.
Chandoo, who is a die-hard fan of Nagarjuna, points that the team’s confidence on the film doubled after the superstar had some good words to say about the film. The veteran watched the first cut of the film before it opened all across.
“After being a witness to his confidence, we worked with renewed energy on the post-production. I’m happy that his observations have come true,” he informs.
Next up, Chandoo would be making a film with iDream Media. While he says that the lead actor is yet to be finalised, he is also in talks to make a film each with Dil Raju and ‘Premam’ makers.
What kind of films that he wants to make? Chandoo says that romance is not his cup of tea but sci-fi, Sherlock Holmes kind of films gives him a kick.
