Gana trailer: Prajwal Devaraj leads faithful remake of Telugu sci-fi flick Play Back

A week ahead of its theatrical release, the trailer of Prajwal Devaraj’s next, Gana, was revealed today. Directed by Hari Prasad Jakka, Gana was speculated to be the remake of the filmmaker’s 2021 Telugu sci-fi film Play Back, which, in turn, was inspired by the Netflix series Dark, back when the teaser was revealed for Prajwal’s birthday. The trailer confirms that Gana is a faithful remake of Play Back, in which Prajwal is joined by Yasha Shivakumar, Vedhika, Krishi Thapanda, Shivaraj KR Pete, among others.

The trailer follows Prajwal, who is in 2022, as he strikes a connection with a woman in 1993, Sujatha, played by Vedhika, with whom he is able to communicate via an old landline telephone. What their connection is and why he is often told not to mess with the past forms the crux of the narrative.

The Telugu original, which had Dinesh Tej in the lead, was about a crime reporter called Karthik, who begins receiving calls from someone called Sujatha on the landline in the house he has rented out. When the duo eventually realize that they belong to two different, he helps her set her future right, by changing events in the past (her present).

The original film had no songs, which has been changed for the Kannada version, with Prajwal getting a romantic track with Yasha. There’s also the identity of the skeletons that are uncovered, which is central to the plot.

The concept of parallel universes was explored in Priyanka Upendra’s 1980, in which she played a writer in 1980, who connected with someone decades ahead over a phone, while last year’s Murphy had the protagonists communicating with a radio.

Gana, meanwhile, has had absolutely no promotional activities so far, even, though it is set to release on January 31. The film’s satellite and digital rights have, apparently, been sold to Sun Network, so the theatrical release appears to be more of a formality at this point.