Exclusive | Pawan Kumar on Alaya F starrer U-Turn (Hindi): 'Makes us proud'
Pawan Kumar had previously directed Shraddha Srinath and Samantha Ruth Prabhu in the Kannada and Telugu & Tamil versions of U-Turn (respectively).
Apr 25, 2023
Alaya F in 'U-Turn), (R) Pawan Kumar & Samantha Ruth Prabhu
Watch U-Turn on OTTPlay.
Alaya F is back with a new OTT release in the form of U-Turn, an intriguing thriller that has her play the role of an investigative journalist who is out to unravel a series of mysterious deaths. U Turn comes as the official remake of Pawan Kumar's films of the same name which he directed in 2016 and 2018 in Kannada and Telugu respectively. Shraddha Srinath essayed the leading role in the former with Shaakuntalam actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu playing the part in the Telugu & Tamil versions.
The trailer of the U-Turn (Hindi) was released on April 14 to mixed responses with one-half of the audience responding positively and the other expectedly drawing comparisons with the previous two versions. Alaya F won her deserved share of praise from her fans who recalled her good performance in the 2022 romantic thriller Freddy wherein she played the lead role alongside Kartik Aaryan. In the same vein came the slightly harsh comments but they were mostly directed towards the fact that the film is a remake: many rebuked the Hindi Film Industry, or Bollywood, for resorting to another south Indian remake in its pursuit of engaging content.
The ongoing discourse draws attention towards the fact that remakes continue to remain in vogue (in Bollywood especially) despite all the criticism from the patrons' end. Alongside, many pointed out that the era of streaming services has blurred borders to an extent and the fact most of them have already watched the film in their original languages.
However, Pawan Kumar, the creator of not only the story, the film and the world of U-Turn but also this franchise of a kind, believes that a remake still does not go unjustified. Sharing that the makers of the Hindi film had approached him many years ago, Pawan alluded to a large section of the Indian audience that is still keen on watching a film in the language it is most comfortable in.
"The production had bought this film before the Telugu and Tamil versions were released in theatres. And I am sure they have their reasons to go make it in Hindi - guess, there is an audience who may like to see it in original and not in a dubbed form," said Pawan in his brief conversation with OTTplay.
Much of the praise that Pawan's U-Turn films received was in the favour of the impressive technical qualities of the film, with the cinematography and editing being highlighted in all the reviews. From the use of drone cameras to capture cityscapes to the jagged-but-crisp editing pattern, U-Turn (the Kannada version, in particular) stood out from its contemporaries and is still loosely acknowledged for further enunciating the budding 'indie-style' of filmmaking. Pawan Kumar, therefore, feels proud that the upcoming Hindi version has emulated those technical merits to create its ethos.
"Even though I wasn't consulted for and involved in the making of U-Turn (Hindi), it feels good to see that some of the shots I had done back in 2015 have been followed & executed the same way. It makes us proud," he adds.
U-Turn, starring Alaya F, Priyanshu Painyuli, Aashim Gulati, Manu Rishi, Indarjeet Singh Dhillon and Rajesh Sharma, with Arif Khan directing it and Shobha & Ekta Kapoor of Balaji Motion Pictures serving as producers. The thriller will premiere as a direct-to-OTT release on Zee5 on 28 April 2023.
Share