Vijay Sethupathi's '96 was originally written for..,' reveals director Prem Kumar

Chennai: The Tamil film 96, starring Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha Krishnan, which has become a beloved classic, was initially conceived as a Bollywood movie, according to its director, Prem Kumar. The director made this revelation during his participation in the seventh edition of the Indian Screenwriters Conference (ISC), hosted by the Screenwriters Association of India (SWA).

Prem Kumar shared that 96 was originally written with Hindi cinema in mind. "I wanted to pitch it to Abhishek Bachchan, but I didn't have the contacts!" he explained, highlighting his initial ambitions to bring the film to Bollywood. Despite the film's eventual success in Tamil, the concept had organically lent itself to the Hindi film industry, he said.

The 2018 blockbuster 96 tells the heartwarming story of a reunion of former students from the batch of 1996, coming together twenty-two years after their graduation. The film became widely acclaimed for its emotional depth and nostalgia, becoming a cult favourite in the Tamil film industry.

Prem Kumar's passion for Hindi cinema

Elaborating further, Prem Kumar explained his personal connection to Hindi cinema. "I know Hindi very well, and my father grew up in North India. So, I was constantly exposed to Hindi cinema in my childhood. My favourite actor was Naseeruddin Shah. I have written a script for Hindi now," he said. He also emphasised that his interest in Hindi cinema is driven by the diversity of the audience, rather than its scale.

Prem Kumar also revealed that he has completed writing a new Hindi film script, showing his evolving interest in the Hindi film industry. The session, titled The South Saga - Rooted, Relevant, and Revolutionary, also featured other notable filmmakers, such as Christo Tomy, Hemanth M Rao, and Vivek Athreya.

Christo Tomy, who directed Ullozhukku starring Urvashi and Parvathy Thiruvothu, discussed the challenges of making a film with a female lead in the Kerala film industry. "I don't think I would have gotten this kind of budget if I had made it with producers from Kerala," he said, adding that female stars often face more difficulties in the industry.

Meanwhile, Hemanth M Rao shared concerns about the lack of recognition for writers in the Kannada film industry. He highlighted that many writers feel undervalued, with no proper space to register their scripts. "In the Kannada film industry, we do not have a place to register our scripts, so for us, SWA is pan-Indian because there is no other body for us," he said.

Vivek Athreya, the director of Saripodha Sanivaaram, backed Rao's statement, explaining that many writers have turned to directing simply because they feel they are not getting their due credit or proper pay in the industry. "It is not right on any terms but this is what happens, and so they get into direction even though they don't have the interest to direct," he added.

Agency