The south’s take on Queen is mired in difficulties…
… but things are falling in place, says producer Manu Kumaran
The release of the south remake of Bollywood blockbuster Queen has been deferred several times, and speculation is rife as to the cause — some say there are budget problems, others that there are issues with directors and divas. “I agree that our film got delayed by eight months, but I am unhappy about false reports appearing in a section of the media,” says producer Manu Kumaran, who took up the daunting task of remaking the film in four languages simultaneously two years ago.
“We had no issues with divas,” Manu insists. He claims that Tammanah, Kajal Agarwal, Manjima Mohan and Payul Yadav were inspired by the riveting performance of Kangana Ranaut in the original, and agreed to step into her shoes. “I can assure you that Tammanah in the Telugu version That is Mahalakshmi, and Kajal Agarwal in the Tamil film Paris Paris, will be remembered for their scintillating performances. Similarly, Malayalam actress Manjima Mohan and Parul Yadav have given their best,” he stresses.
Referring to the costs, Manu says “It is true that the film has crossed ` 54 crore, exceeding the ` 40 crore budget, because we didn’t want to compromise in the making.”
With OTT platforms insisting on producers submitting a ‘ debt- free’ undertaking, Manu was reported to be running from pillar to post to wriggle out of mess. But he clarifies that “These are baseless rumours since we didn’t borrow any money and it was my friend and partner Taizoon Khorakiwala’s personal funds.”
Manu is critical of what he calls the “male- chauvinistic mindset” of a few digital platforms. “They are biased towards hero- driven films. For example, they are ready to shell out more than ` 30 crore for a herocentric movie, but not more than ` 10 crore to ` 12 crore for a lady- oriented film, though women make up 50% of the audience,” he says. He is, however, confident of proving that women- based movies can garner collections on par with male- dominated ones. The film is also facing some issues with censors in Telangana and Tamil Nadu. “Personally, I think censorship has to be overhauled,” Manu says, adding, “Honestly, we are amused with regional censor officials because they are suggesting cuts for the remake of a world- renowned, well- appreciated and national award- winn i n g
H i n d i movie.”
However, he is optim i s t i c t h a t
“things are falling in place.”
Initially, actresses like Revathy and Suhasini were supposed to direct the Telugu and Tamil versions, but later, male directors stepped in. Manu is unwilling to discuss this. “I don’t want to talk about old issues,” he says, but was all praise for directors Ramesh Aravind, Prashant Varma and Neelakanta. “No other filmmaker has dared to make such an attempt, but we could make a genuine multilingual film, retaining the distinct identity and subculture of each region by making appropriate changes in the look and script,” he concludes.
I think censorship has to be overhauled. Honestly, we are amused with regional censor officials because they are suggesting cuts for the remake of a world- renowned, well- appreciated and national award- winning Hindi movie. No other filmmaker has dared to make such an attempt, but we could make a genuine multilingual film, retaining the distinct identity and subculture of each region by making appropriate changes in the look and script — Manu Kumaran, producer